NBBJ and Stanford’s Dr. Kevin Schulman Rethink Hospital Design for AI

The collaboration targets the fundamental mismatch between static real estate investments and the fluid nature of modern medicine. While traditional hospitals are built for decades of service, the integration of automation and distributed care models demands a radical shift in spatial planning. Dr. Schulman, whose research at the Stanford Graduate School of Business focuses on the intersection of clinical workflows and AI-driven economics, provides the analytical framework for how these systems will function in practice.

NBBJ, which maintains design partnerships with 75% of the U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals Honor Roll, will translate these economic and technological insights into physical design strategies. The team is currently addressing specific operational pressures including information overload, rising facility costs, and the ongoing migration of care away from centralized acute-care settings. According to NBBJ partner Ryan Hullinger, the goal is to help health systems navigate this uncertainty by creating environments that can adapt to rapid shifts in medical technology.

Beginning this fall, the partnership will roll out findings through a series of lectures and working sessions. This program of exploration is scheduled to continue through 2027, aiming to provide healthcare executives with a blueprint for long-term capital investments that remain viable in an increasingly automated landscape.