Gina Chang

Honoree: Real Estate/Construction
Principal
CO Architects

Gina Chang, AIA, EDAC, has been at the forefront of healthcare design for more than 20 years. A principal and design team leader at Los Angeles-based CO Architects, she has helped healthcare providers implement innovations that improve patient outcomes and enhance staff wellness. An in-demand industry speaker and writer, Chang is a nationally recognized authority on biophilic design and its impact on healing. She has helped pioneer Universal Patient Rooms and Units, where providers and equipment come to the patient to maximize comfort, flexibility and ease of care, as well as minimize patient movement and hospital-acquired infections. This philosophy is being realized in a new University of California hospital, where each patient room is designed and permitted to intensive-care standards should it become necessary.

The ability to easily upgrade air-change rates and licensure allows for flexibility of space. To mitigate the epidemic of healthcare provider burnout, Chang’s teams implement numerous evidence-based improvements to create innovative work environments. She is skilled at gaining a deep understanding of each organization’s unique culture and care model and then translating this to design. Placement of nursing stations, collaboration spaces, key support spaces and other high-traffic areas are modeled and simulated digitally for optimal workflow and access to nature.

As a principal at CO Architects, Chang contributes to and upholds the firm’s culture, supporting aspiring designers and junior staff in their professional growth. She is an active leader in internal organizations, including the firm’s co-worker Mentor Program, the continuing education program of CO University and WoCO (Women of CO), a professional development and support group for the firm’s female staff. Chang also participates in the firm’s annual Architectural Discovery Program, a four-week opportunity for high-school students from underrepresented communities in Los Angeles to work in the architecture field and develop a critical understanding of what architects do.