Suggesting a proactive approach to battling the latest health epidemics such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes, the Heart Care Center proposal combines preventative education with therapy, supported by sustainable and evidence-based design. Projected for a site in Balgaum, India—a southern region where approximately 2.4 million people a year require heart surgery—Sangolli’s design is
also informed by case studies of successful cardiac centers including the Vivian & Seymour Milstein Family Heart Center in New York and Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
The design employs extensive green spaces, indoors and out: Extensive rooftop gardens are planted with
self-sustaining succulent plants such as aloe, agave, and echeveria; green roofs also provide natural insulation, absorb storm water run-off, and filter carbon dioxide and pollutants. Indoors, plantings take the form of living walls with a density of 30 plants per square foot. Patient rooms are single occupancy with accessibility to family lounges. “There is a strong relationship between form and function,” a juror says. “We like the student’s integration of public wellness functions alongside cardiac care.”
student honorable mention
Designer Akshay Arvind Sangolli, Texas A&M University
Where Belgaum, India (location of proposed project)
