By Healthcare Facilities Today

The 2013 Healthcare Environment Awards, co-sponsored by Contract magazine, in association with The Center for Health Design, Healthcare Design 2013, and the Vendome Group. Each year, projects are recognized in acute care, ambulatory care, health and fitness, conceptual and student design categories.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey was the winner in the health and fitness category. 

The winning project was a 4,500-square-foot, single-story retail space to build brand recognition and attract new customers, as well as to provide support, improved service, and wellness education for current clients, according to an article on the Contract magazine website.

The design draws influence from hospitality and residential typologies rather than traditional healthcare models. Glass partitions maintain openness and transparency, contrasting with the texture 
of reclaimed wood used for both wall surfaces and furnishings, which creates a welcoming feeling in the spaces. 

The jury found this prototype store, which could serve as a model for future stores in other locations, to be innovative, and one juror said the project provided “a great blend of designed spaces for interaction and conversation, and yet privacy and open space.”

Read the article.