Rehab + Scape Center proposes a three-story, 76,000-square-foot long-term care and rehabilitation facility that aims to maintain native green surroundings through sustainable design while meeting the needs of a complex rehabilitation program. Ge designed this as a long-term care facility that functions among tree canopies while affording views into a sunken therapeutic courtyard.

Suggesting a site among the rolling hills of the Appalachian mountain range, the design would embed one-third of the building into a hillside at an east-west orientation for maximum cross ventilation. The floors are designated according to common use: therapy at the basement level, public and family functions on the ground floor, and semi-private rooms at the upper level. The sunken courtyard optimizes outdoor use, thanks to amphitheater seating, a patio, and well-maintained turf. The ground level provides comfortable spaces for friends and family, as well as support for patients. The design also calls for less institutional patient room settings and more hospitality to create a productive healing environment.

The jury cited the design’s restraint and simplicity. “[The design] is well balanced with the site, presents a strong concept, and incorporates inherent wayfinding,” a juror says. “This is a concept you could take to a client.”


student winner
Designer Alex Ge, Clemson University
Where Asheville, North Carolina (location of proposed project)