The Ripple Primary Function: Indawo Yokunyamekela Abagulayo Abasweleke by Minghan Lin, Yuchen Qiu and Hao Zhong is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Ibhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award in Uyilo lweZakhiwo, Isakhiwo kunye neMilo Competition Category.
IsilivereUyilo lweZakhiwo· 2026
The Ripple Primary Function: Indawo Yokunyamekela Abagulayo Abasweleke
by Minghan Lin, Yuchen Qiu and Hao Zhong
Ibhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award Winner in Uyilo lweZakhiwo Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #181398The Design
About The Ripple Primary Function: Indawo Yokunyamekela Abagulayo Abasweleke
Book Text: I-Ripple yisindululo sendawo yokunyamekela abagulayo esakhiwe ngendlela yendawo ejikelezayo evela kwinkundla yamanzi esembindini. Imi eChinatown, kwisixeko saseNew York, uyilo luphinda luchaze ukhathalelo lokuphela kobomi njengamava obuhlanga basedolophini kunokuba lube liziko elizodwa. Imaleko yamasango, iinkundla, kunye nezakhiwo zomthi zikhokela intshukumo isuka kubomi boluntu isiya kucamngco oluthuleyo. Ukukhanya kwemini okudibanisiweyo, amanzi, kunye namaqhinga okusingqongileyo angasebenzisi mandla kudala ukuzola kweemvakalelo, kuxhasa ubumfihlo, ulwalathiso, kunye nempilo-ntle yeemvakalelo ngokusebenzisa uyilo lwezakhiwo ngokwalo.
The Recognition
About the Ibhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award
The Ripple Primary Function: Indawo Yokunyamekela Abagulayo Abasweleke ngumphumeleli weIbhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award, ukuqatshelwa okuhlonitshwayo ngokungaqhelekanga okunikwa imiyilo yomgangatho ophezulu, entle nechukumisayo. Abaphumeleleyo beSilivere ziimveliso ezikhazimlayo kakhulu nezidala kakhulu ezibonisa ubungcali obuphawulekayo, italente nobukrelekrele babayili bazo. The Ripple Primary Function: Indawo Yokunyamekela Abagulayo Abasweleke iyathenjwa ukuba ibe ngumsebenzi omhle womzekelo, onobungcali obuphawulekayo nezinto ezintsha ezinzulu. Lo myilo uphumeleleyo weIbhaso Lesilivere le-A' Design Award yimveliso ebonakalayo kakhulu, ethandwayo enceda kwaye inyusa imida yobugcisa, inzululwazi, uyilo kunye nobuchwephesha. The Ripple Primary Function: Indawo Yokunyamekela Abagulayo Abasweleke yimveliso enomona omkhulu kuyo evusa iinqwenelo, izisa iimvakalelo ezintle kwaye ivuselela ukumangaliswa nokumangala.
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
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