The Ripple Hospice by Minghan Lin, Yuchen Qiu and Hao Zhong

The Ripple Hospice by Minghan Lin, Yuchen Qiu and Hao Zhong is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award in Zilver in Architectuur, Gebouwen en Constructieontwerp Competition Category.

ZilverArchitectuur· 2026

The Ripple Hospice

by Minghan Lin, Yuchen Qiu and Hao Zhong

A' Design Award in Zilver Winner in Architectuur Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

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The Design

About The Ripple Hospice

The Ripple is een hospicevoorstel dat is opgebouwd uit een concentrisch ruimtelijk systeem dat ontstaat vanuit een centrale waterhof. Gelegen in Chinatown, New York City, herdefinieert het ontwerp terminale zorg als een stedelijke, maatschappelijke ervaring in plaats van een geïsoleerde instelling. Lagen van drempels, binnenplaatsen en houten omhullingen leiden de beweging van het publieke leven naar stille bezinning. Geïntegreerd daglicht, water en passieve milieustrategieën creëren zintuiglijke rust en ondersteunen privacy, oriëntatie en emotioneel welzijn door de architectuur zelf.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Zilver

The Ripple Hospice is winnaar van de A' Design Award in Zilver, een buitengewoon prestigieuze erkenning die wordt toegekend aan topontwerpen die prachtig en indrukwekkend zijn. Winnaars in Zilver zijn enorm briljante en uiterst creatieve werken die de uitmuntende expertise, het talent en de scherpzinnigheid van hun ontwerpers illustreren. The Ripple Hospice wordt verwacht een prachtig paradepaardje te zijn dat opmerkelijk professioneel en diepgaand innovatief is. Dit ontwerp dat de A' Design Award in Zilver heeft gewonnen, is een hoogst opmerkelijke, bewonderde uitvinding die baat en de grenzen van kunst, wetenschap, ontwerp en technologie verlegt. The Ripple Hospice is een zeer benijde creatie die verlangens oproept, positieve gevoelens brengt en verbazing en verwondering doet ontvlammen.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Ripple reimagines hospice as an urban civic sanctuary structured by a concentric ripple geometry generated from a single water court. Architecture, structure, circulation, and environmental systems align within one continuous spatial logic, integrating hybrid timber construction, passive ventilation, and water reuse. The design transforms end-of-life care into a collective, sensory experience embedded within the life of the city.
Dimensions & Packaging: The project employs a hybrid timber system organized by concentric structural rings. Curved CLT load-bearing wall segments rise from a continuous concrete foundation datum, supporting stepped roof bands with integrated skylights, photovoltaic tiles, and rainwater collection gutters. Environmental systems include stacked passive ventilation, hydronic radiant floor slabs, and on-site water filtration and reuse.
Tags: Hospice, Healthcare Design, Sensory experience, Therapeutic environment,
Production Technology: The project was developed through an integrated design methodology where geometry, structure, and environmental systems evolve from a single concentric datum. Digital modeling and iterative sectional studies guided spatial, daylight, and airflow performance. A hybrid timber system using curved CLT wall segments, cavity assemblies, and a continuous concrete base enables structural clarity while integrating rainwater collection, passive ventilation, and radiant conditioning within one coordinated assembly.
Design Challenge: The primary challenge was reconciling hospice care’s need for privacy and calm with the density and intensity of an urban Chinatown context. Social perceptions of hospice as isolated institutions required rethinking care as civic and accessible. Spatially, integrating sensory comfort, acoustic privacy, and environmental performance within a compact site demanded precise coordination of structure, water systems, and daylight. The project resolves these tensions through a unified geometric and environmental strategy.
Research: Design research combining healthcare design and environmental psychology. Objective: improve patient privacy and emotional comfort in hospice settings. Methodology explored spatial sequencing and sensory design strategies. Experiential scenarios tested water sound as a non-visual privacy buffer.
Inspiration: The Ripple is inspired by the universal image of a water drop generating expanding rings, symbolizing the continuity of life, memory, and collective care. Research into hospice environments, sensory psychology, and traditional courtyard typologies informed a design that replaces institutional isolation with spatial calm, gradual thresholds, and communal presence, integrating cultural reflection with environmental performance.
Project Duration: The project was developed between September 2025 and Janurary 2026 as part of an architectural design competition. The Ripple is located in Chinatown, New York City, where it reimagines hospice care within a dense urban context. The proposal explores how end-of-life care can integrate with everyday civic life through architecture, landscape, and community-oriented programming.
Operation Flow: Movement through Ripple follows expanding concentric rings, guiding visitors from the active city edge toward increasing quiet and intimacy. Thresholds, courtyards, and water elements choreograph gradual emotional transition rather than abrupt separation. Daylight, airflow, and acoustic water features respond passively to occupancy and climate, supporting orientation, privacy, and calm—allowing care to unfold through spatial experience rather than institutional control.
Patents: Minghan Lin, Yuchen Qiu, Hao Zhong
Team Members: Minghan Lin
Yuchen Qiu
Hao Zhong
Image Credits: Minghan Lin, Yuchen Qiu, Hao Zhong