Phil Freelon​ Design Competition winners take on healthcare design in unexpected settings

The winning entries to Perkins&Will's annual internal Phil Freelon Design Competition were presented today. 

Now in its 21st edition, the challenge this year invited the firm's global studios to tackle the challenge of healthcare design beyond the conventional clinical settings and instead come up with innovative design "hacks" of existing "everyday spaces," like strip malls, transit stops, parking lots, housing, libraries, or community centers.

First Place: Rx Strip Mall: 200mg
Designers: Anne-Philippe Kakou, Felipe Florentino, Samuel Orlando, and Joseph McKenley

Description: "A vibrant reimagining of the aging American strip mall as a joy-filled wellness destination, this project transforms an everyday commercial landscape into a community-centered space for health. Drawing from the typology’s original promise—making life easier—the Washington, D.C.-based team repositions the strip mall as a vehicle for making life healthier. Targeting real public health challenges like asthma, obesity, and mental distress in Prince George’s County, Maryland, the design deploys a series of modular kiosks, pavilions, and outdoor furnishings—each based on the footprint of a parking space—that invite movement, connection, and care. Judges praised the project’s use of humor and graphic storytelling, noting how it made health feel approachable, social, and fun—without losing sight of scale or strategy. With more than 68,000 strip malls across the U.S., the proposal is not only wildly imaginative, but deeply scalable."

Second Place: Flourish
Designers: Joe Wilfong, Corey Phelps, Joshua Gripton, and Luke Christensen

Description: "A vibrant reimagining of the school playground as a nature- and food-based health hub. FLOURISH transforms an underused, heat-exposed site in Magnolia Park Houston, at Franklin Elementary, into a dynamic space for play, gardening, and communal eating—blurring the lines between learning and wellbeing. Judges appreciated its seasonal programming, community integration, and its bold departure from rigid education models."

Third Place: Parkitecture
Designers: Junye Zhou, Jeremy Cheng, Carven Chen, and Dahan Xiong

Description: "A restrained yet powerful reimagining of a Dallas parking garage, PARKITECTURE introduces a phased system of modular add-ons—like health kiosks, mini sports courts, green planting areas, and coworking spaces—to improve community wellness. By targeting outer garage areas that receive natural light, and planning for future conversion of interior space, the proposal responds to evolving urban needs and declining parking demand. Judges admired its pragmatic, scalable approach to transforming underutilized infrastructure into health-generating community assets."