Welcome to the Design Loft: your design school for health and social impact.
Today, we are looking back and forward to what lessons we can take from interviews, commentaries, and forecasts about design in the health sector as we look back on 2025 and ahead to 2026. (We’ll look at social impact in a future issue).
The intention is to get you thinking about what the past year had in store for you and what you might pay attention to as we begin 2026. It’s a perfect time of year to reflect back and dream forward. So let’s get to it.
The Year that Was (And Is to Come)
Healthcare Design Magazine recently published its year-end review, interviewing leaders from across the sector, who came up with the following suggestions, reflections, and insights about where the sector is and is going.
According to their panel of experts, the health sector remains a vibrant, if complex, environment for design and innovation. The industry continues to recover from COVID-19, with many large-scale projects that were put on hold finally restarted or completed. Political uncertainty—from tariffs to changing workforce policies—added pressure to an already strained system, prompting healthcare organizations and major tech firms to explore transformative partnership models.
Three key operational shifts emerged across the sector:
- Rightsizing care delivery: Health systems moved toward ambulatory care and microsites, rethinking large capital footprints in favour of nimble, high-impact environments that maximize either resources through consolidation or access through distributed microsites
- Alternative delivery methods: Progressive design-build, integrated design process (IDP), and design-assist methods gained significant traction (40% increase in opportunities) as clients sought greater certainty and collaborative risk management
- Speed and innovation: Aggressive timelines drove broader adoption of full-scale modular construction, prefabricated components, design packages, and Lean strategies to meet faster deadlines
Leaders noted surprising developments, including the rapid embrace of experience-centred design language in boardroom conversations (e.g., use of terms like psychological safety, dignity, trauma-informed design).
Sustainability was a big word as more health centres seek to reduce their environmental impact and improve their responsible use of materials to limit their contribution to carbon outputs.
Also, to little surprise, was the use of AI. For example, integrating AI and ambient documentation to reduce administrative burden on clinicians while shifting complex services to specialized outpatient settings to preserve inpatient capacity for critical cases—signalling a fundamental transformation prioritizing flexibility, efficiency, and long-term viability.
Other Signals and Trends
Healthcare Design Magazine’s review mirrors some of what I found reviewing other published trends and predictions.
AI and robotics integration has moved from experimental to essential, with the healthcare AI market projected to explode from $26.69 billion in 2024 to $613.81 billion by 2034. Hospitals are now designing dedicated pathways for autonomous robots, creating “backstage” infrastructure for AI-assisted tools, and incorporating smart room sensors that detect patient falls and monitor building efficiency, from energy use to patient flow (see: RSP Architects, 2025; MedCity News, 2024).
We are also starting to see healthcare embrace biophilic design and trauma-informed approaches to shaping environments, seeing these as critical elements to design rather than aesthetic choices. For example, incorporating natural light and greenery reduces stress and promotes healing, and the replacement of sterile white environments with natural materials like wooden ceilings and enhanced staff break rooms, are two ways in which healthcare can address the predicted shortage of 100,000 healthcare workers by 2028 (IIDA, 2024; Building Design+Construction, 2024).
Fundamental shifts in facility planning and construction methods is another notable trend. Prefabrication has become “the new standard” for hospital design, with significant projects like Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center targeting 50-60% prefabricated components to reduce construction time by four to six months and manage costs that have nearly doubled since pre-COVID (Building Design+Construction, 2024; Healthcare Design Magazine, 2025). The aforementioned ambulatory care and microsites is another innovation to address service gaps in places like the 80% of U.S. counties considered to be “healthcare deserts.” These flexible, multi-use clinics can shift between primary care during the day and 24-hour emergency services at night, maximizing both access and resource efficiency (MedCity News, 2024). Progressive design-build and integrated project delivery methods have gained significant traction—with a 40% increase in opportunities—amid organizations’ efforts to manage complexity and risk amid uncertain economic conditions (Healthcare Design Magazine, 2025).
Looking Ahead to 2026
Experts predict 2026 will bring significant opportunities and challenges that can be addressed through design.
Cybersecurity threats are a major concern, with 72% of health executives reporting significant financial damage from cyberattacks. Meanwhile, health systems are expanding into outpatient care and AI-powered tools while facing tight budgets and possible Medicaid funding cuts in the United States that could affect over 10 million people (EY, 2025). AI is getting smarter—soon it will spot early warning signs of diabetes and high blood pressure before symptoms appear, making it easier to prevent serious illness (Healthcare Brew, 2025). Hospitals will need flexible spaces that work for different types of care, from in-person visits to virtual consultations, with smart rooms that automatically adjust lighting and technology for whatever the patient needs (RSP Architects, 2025). There's also growing interest in neuroaesthetics—designing healthcare spaces that actually help people heal faster by considering how our surroundings affect our emotions and mental state (Fortune Business Insights, 2024).
What are you seeing?
What are you excited about? And how are you going to enhance your skills to shape the future of the health sector?
Take your next action here and let’s talk how we can set your team up for success and health impact in 2026.
Image credits: All Images from Michael Hamments on Unsplash