A team from Montana State University is preparing to compete in the second annual American College of Healthcare Architects student design competition this winter. The university was selected as one of five participants based on its past performance in similar contests. Other universities taking part include Temple University, Prairie View A&M, University of Texas San Antonio, and Ball State University.
The competition focuses on health care design, a growing academic field that examines how architectural elements such as lighting and floor plans can influence patient outcomes. Elizabeth Johnson, a nursing professor at MSU and incoming president of the national Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design, and Jordan Zignego, an architecture professor and director of the Community Design Center at MSU, are leading the team.
“Being invited to participate in this competition is national recognition of the great work we are achieving here at Montana State,” said Johnson. Her research will also be featured in London’s Florence Nightingale Museum along with other work from the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing.
Zignego’s role at the Community Design Center involves connecting architecture students with local projects across Montana. For this competition, professors selected Jeff Lee, a first-year Ph.D. student in Indigenous and Rural Health, and TJ Dubler, an undergraduate senior in architecture. Both highlighted that participating offers practical experience relevant to their future careers.
The MSU team is working with staff from Phillips County Hospital in Malta—specifically CEO Jo Tharp and Director of Nursing Angie Stiles—to redesign spaces that support both patient wellness and provider needs. Their project includes interior and exterior renderings as well as technical documentation explaining their choices; submissions are due by mid-December with winners announced in February.
Johnson noted that students have been encouraged to think beyond current limitations: “They get to be creative and dream big,” she said. “The current infrastructure, staff feedback and community health needs assessment can be a collective blueprint for them and not a limitation.”
Lee described how their design addresses hospital space constraints while increasing capacity from six to 25 beds. He emphasized improvements for workflow efficiency among clinical teams through changes such as upgraded entrances, exits, signage, and modern fixtures like sliding doors.
Dubler added that they aim to create a more welcoming environment by using earth tones and placing plants throughout waiting areas—choices meant to reflect local history while meeting recognized standards like the AIA Framework for Design Excellence and Biophilic Design principles.
Both students found the process professionally meaningful. “I intend to continue working in health care,” said Lee. “I want to continue to work to resolve health inequities, and I think design is a big part of it.” Dubler commented on gaining experience organizing community input into practical designs: “It’s good practice trying to organize all the community input into one idea that can meet their many needs.”
More information about the American College of Healthcare Architects student design competition is available at https://healtharchitects.org/.
