Local Identity Is Shaping The Next Generation Of Healthcare Design
Hospitals and healthcare facilities are embracing design strategies that mirror their surrounding communities, an approach long seen in hospitality.
By Ariel Schuster, Artaic
The one-size-fits-all, sterile healthcare environments are fading, replaced by a more community-based design approach. While clinical performance remains paramount, elements such as artwork, wayfinding, and color are increasingly being integrated to create environments that reflect the care being delivered. Hospitals and healthcare facilities are embracing design strategies that mirror their surrounding communities, an approach long seen in hospitality. To achieve this, decision-makers are bringing in scenes and inspiration from the surrounding environment and collaborating with local artists to foster familiarity and emotional comfort for patients. This shift reflects a broader recognition that the built environment plays a role not only in function but in how care is experienced in these spaces.
In vulnerable moments, these place-based design cues can be grounding, transforming healthcare environments into spaces that feel more connected to home. As a result, design teams and architects are increasingly working to translate locally rooted artworks into durable, sanitary installations that meet the demands of high-traffic healthcare settings. This includes ensuring that artwork can be appropriately scaled to its environment and maintained over time without compromising visual intent.
Advent Health x Disney
In Orlando, Florida, a full-service Advent Health emergency room at FLAMINGO CROSSINGS Town Center incorporates immersive, Disney-inspired mosaics as part of its patient-centered design strategy. Developed in collaboration with Pixar Animation Studios, the architectural firm AOA, and Boston-based designer and mosaic manufacturer Artaic, the installations bring the magic of Disney to life in the emergency room, fostering a sense of comfort, joy, and familiarity for patients and their families.
The design process required careful adaptation of character artwork into mosaic form, where subtle shifts in line and proportion can impact legibility. Working alongside Pixar’s animation team and the project architects, Artaic translated the designs into mosaic using proprietary design software, ensuring the final installations maintain visual clarity while meeting the durability requirements of a healthcare environment.
Familiar characters, like Dory, Nemo, and Moana, and water-themed environments create a sense of comfort and recognition for patients and families. These visual references are embedded throughout the space to reinforce familiarity within a clinical setting that can often feel unfamiliar or overwhelming.
Hilo Medical Center
At the newly-renovated East Hawaii Health Cancer Center (EHHCC) at Hilo Medical Center, a large-scale mosaic mural greets patients and their families as they enter the facility. Designed by local artist Kristie Kosmides, the mural depicts local residents, including cancer survivors and their support systems, and the familiar vibrant backdrop of Hawaii.
The artwork was developed using a combination of design elements, including a photoshoot to accurately capture the forms and presence of the people depicted, drawings inspired by native Hawaiian flora and fauna, the local Wailuku River, rainbows, and clothing by Sig Zane, a Hilo-based designer. These elements, together, create a visual “thread” that connects the figures and conveys a sense of welcome and warmth. References to Rainbow Falls, located near the facility, are also incorporated into the work.
In her artist statement, Kosmides references the island’s “Ka mana’olana aloha o nā lima ko’o o ke ’ānuenue”: “The supporting hands of the Rainbow bring hope, love, and healing for all who come to her.” The artwork serves as a greeting for those entering the facility, reflecting a message of support for patients and families.
Through Artaic’s fabrication process and alongside its designers, Kosmides’ original artwork was translated into a mosaic composed of more than 30 shades of vitreous glass tile, ensuring the installation could withstand Hawaii’s climate while maintaining visual fidelity. The translation process required careful color matching and compositional adjustments to preserve the detail of the original painting within a modular mosaic system at architectural scale.
Indiana University Bloomington Hospital
In Indiana, CSO Architects partnered with Artaic to bring works by regional artists into Indiana University Health facilities as large-scale mosaics. Titled Shades of Southern Indiana, the installations are located throughout key public areas, including elevator lobbies and dining spaces, with each piece reflecting a different local perspective. The Shades of Southern Indiana concept was created to create patient, family, physician, and employee experiences that are welcoming, intuitive, and serene.
In collaboration with CSO Architects, Artaic worked with several local artists to translate each artist’s original artwork into mosaics using 3/4-inch vitreous glass.
