As new medicines, treatment regimens, and clinical protocols radically alter the medical world, facilities and building environments in which they take form are similarly evolving rapidly. Innovations and trends related to products, materials, assemblies, and building systems for the U.S. healthcare building sector have opened new avenues for better care delivery. Discussions with leading healthcare architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms and owners-operators offer insights into some of the most promising directions.

While larger hospitals tend to dominate the news when it comes to healthcare AEC trends, a study by McKinsey last year noted that ambulatory care comprises about 30% of total provider revenues—and trending upward. Medical buildings account for over 40% of all healthcare construction. Many of the most nimble and adaptable segments of the healthcare world today are smaller outpatient facilities and clinics, medical office buildings (MOBs), specialty facilities such as radiology and physical therapy buildings, as well as the proliferation of urgent care centers nationally.

As of last year, at least 300 urgent care facilities—many of them multibuilding complexes, and some with structured parking—were added in the United States, bringing the number of standalone operations to well over 6,000 total. Thousands of freestanding and lessee clinics were added nationally also. Some of these smaller satellite developments are templated rollouts, similar to retail franchises.

Identifying a need for wider access to care, many health providers have expanded their operations in ways that support all area residents, not just the insured or well-off. “We are working on healthcare facilities that address the wellness of marginalized populations, in other words, facilities supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of those who are homeless or unable to afford care otherwise—or both,” says Doug Lovegren, AIA, a Partner with architecture and art firm Svigals + Partners.

“We approach these designs the same way we do any healthcare facility, which is to provide a dignified environment to deliver the highest quality of care,” says Lovegren, who has worked with design teams on dozens of projects, from reconstruction and retrofit to entire health and education campuses. “We are also learning more and more about trauma-informed design and how it can benefit the patients and improve outcomes.”

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