17, Part 2, Amy Mays

17, Part 2, Amy Mays

Author: Porcelanosa August 9, 2019 Duration: 24:48

In the second part of my conversation with Amy Mays, Interior Design Practice Leader at HDR's New York, New York architecture studio, Amy shares what it was like to walk into the operating room to have 20 strangers staring at her right before her serious brain surgery, and how that experience changed her approach to healthcare design. "I ended up having a benign brain tumor and it blew my world apart fairly quickly," says Amy. That story and more on the changing face of healthcare design from one of the largest architecture firms in the world, on part 2 of today's episode.

Learn more about Amy Mays and HDR by visiting: https://www.hdrinc.com. Find HDR on Instagram by searching for @hdr_inc, on Twitter @hdrarchitecture and on LinkedIn by searching for Health at HDR.

Thank you to our industry partners:

  • The Center For Health Design
  • The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design

Learn more about how the Center for Health Design can support your firm by visiting: http://healthdesign.org.

Connect to a community of clinicians and others interested in supporting clinician involvement in design and construction of the built environment by visiting The Nursing Institute for Healthcare Design at https://www.nursingihd.com/.

And to the American Association of Healthcare Interior Designers, thank you for your support of this program. Enhance your professional credibility by earning the Certified Healthcare Interior Design credential. Visit http://AAHID.org for more info.

In part 2 of the episode you will learn:

  • What it's like to work for one of the largest architecture firms in the world.
  • What transparency looks like during the initial stages of a project.
  • What makes a project successful.
  • How HDR helps their hospital clients with fundraising.
  • Are healthcare systems in New York different then the rest of the United States and is New York a trendsetter in healthcare interior design?
  • How are color palettes in healthcare design different on the east coast?
  • How does empathy play a role in healthcare design and has that changed in the past 10 years?
  • How Amy's brain surgery two years ago gave her a completely different perspective on the way a healthcare space should be designed.
  • Amy's internship and love of pediatric healthcare design influenced her decision to move permanently into the field.
  • Amy's role in IIDA's New York Chapter and what it's like being the president of the chapter. 

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Hosted by Porcelanosa, Healthcare Interior Design 2.0 explores a field in the midst of a profound shift. This isn't just about choosing paint colors or furniture; it's a deep, necessary conversation about the very spaces where healing happens. Each episode grapples with essential questions that sit at the unique intersection of art, medicine, and human well-being. We consider how to build environments that truly serve every person in a community, acknowledging the full spectrum of human diversity and need. The discussions are grounded in real-world application, moving from broad concepts to tangible details. You'll hear about specific challenges, like redesigning cancer care units to reduce anxiety, or selecting materials that resist infection without sacrificing beauty or sustainability. The podcast delves into how intentional design choices-from layout to lighting to acoustics-directly impact not only patients, but also the families who visit them and the clinical staff working long shifts. It’s a thoughtful examination of how compassion and curiosity can be built into the walls around us, making healthcare spaces more effective, inclusive, and humane. Tune in for a series that redefines what’s possible when we thoughtfully design for health.
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