Lauren Cole MS-ID, EDAC, Associate IIDA, System director of design strategy, Providence Health (Renton, Wash.)
Lauren Cole joined Providence Health & Services in 2023 as senior director of planning and design – Central Division. Less than two years later, she was promoted to system director of design strategy, where she balances complex project work and foundational initiatives that showcase her innovative and thoughtful approach.
One of her notable achievements is the development of Providence Spaces, a central hub comprising guidelines, best practices, tools, and a library of performance successes and lessons learned, shared on a virtual platform.
Cole reached out to leaders from environmental services, facilities, infection prevention, engineering, construction, and executive leadership for input as well as architecture partners and various industry representatives. By incorporating these diverse perspectives, she delivered a comprehensive and well-rounded design platform that will serve as a living resource for internal and external teams, with users continuing to deliver updates and lessons learned.
Additionally, she rolled out a Providence Signature Experience Workshop, for which she engaged a broader group of caregivers and outside partners that affect the patient and caregiver experience to spark new ideas to advance healthcare design in the region. Putting participants in the shoes of diverse patient and caregiver profiles, the workshop encouraged them to consider diversity, equity, and inclusion in new ways. Participants from different areas were able to interact, share their experiences, and listen to viewpoints they typically wouldn’t consider. This collaborative environment sparked new design strategies and operational practices now being explored and implemented at Providence.
Her leadership in these initiatives provided a strong foundation for her roles in major projects in the past year, including a campus master plan at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Ore. Here, she was instrumental in developing a plan for growth on a landlocked campus that allows for the highest amount of future flexibility as possible, including multiple ways to add beds across multiple service lines, as well as refine existing space.
Colleagues value her ability to connect and listen to various voices as crucial to bridging the gap between caregivers and design and construction partners, ensuring successful project outcomes. For an emergency department expansion at Providence Portland Medical Center in Portland, Ore., she thoughtfully incorporated patient and provider feedback into the design process, using the project as a catalyst for a refresh of the overall design approach for the hospital campus.
Through these initiatives and projects, Cole is not only setting new benchmarks in healthcare design but fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, advancing the field, and improving quality of care for environments for both patients and staff.
Click here for more on all the 2025 HCD 10 winners.