The US Healthcare sector is a multi-trillion-dollar industry supported by over 20 million health workers. Based on the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) 2020 data, these professionals currently process more than 36.3 million admissions. As one of the country’s essential markets, the industry is responsible for addressing not just the present needs for quality medical care, but also for finding ways to evolve and adapt for the future. To meet these challenging and disparate demands, the industry has to continually evolve to keep up with the growing demand for better, higher-performing facilities, facilities that can respond to newer and more advanced threats to human health and wellness.
Architects that specialize in healthcare understand the significance of these numbers and the industry’s role in preserving human lives. Being the artists and creative visionaries that they are, they optimize the potential of design, technology, and sustainability to create holistic environments and healing spaces that empower, inspire, and transform. The results are buildings and structures centered on the specific needs of patients, health workers, and the communities that they serve.
The list below features the best 50 hospital architects in the US. The firms included here are known for their significant contributions to transforming, shaping, and serving the healthcare industry through innovative, adaptive, humane, and visually magnificent architectures. These firms were qualified based on the awards, publications, industry affiliations, and the number of projects completed for the healthcare sector. Our editorial team also looked at the background of the firms’ principal architects, the value and quality of their projects, their years of service, and most importantly, the reviews and commendations from their clientele.
JLG Architects
322 FIRST AVE. N SUITE #600, MINNEAPOLIS, MN 55401
Over 30 years ago, JLG Architects completed its first project, a gazebo, for one of the most historic buildings in the region, the Myra Museum. The company was one of the first design firms to use computers using the RISC 1000 for drafting—a huge technological leap at that time that propelled the industry to new heights. That advancement—coupled with the firm’s architectural caliber—earned the company a much-coveted AIA design award in the following year.
From a small, local firm, the company expanded to welcome mergers with leading architectural firms in the country, including Schoen Associates, Davison Larson Architects, ACV2, and Studio Five Architects. Individually, these firms have established their reputation as innovators that cater to a wide spectrum of markets. As one organization, the merger dominated the Upper Midwest’s architectural scene. Today, the company is among Building Design+Construction’s Top 150 Architecture Giants and is one of Architectural Record’s Top 300 Architecture Firms in the US.
Aside from its multi-awarded projects for other complex markets in the industrial, aviation, hospitality, and sports sectors, among others, the firm and its partners share a legacy of completing significant architectures for the healthcare industry. Before merging with the firm Studio Five Architects helped give life to the Minnesota healthcare industry’s most vital medical facilities. Its partnership with the University of Minnesota Physicians and Fairview Health Services, for instance, produced a modern ambulatory care center, a trailblazing project that set the standards for the facility’s future medical structures. The work was named one of the Top Projects of 2015 by Finance & Commerce magazine.
