By now, we are all familiar — at least to some extent — with artificial intelligence (AI). Its rapid evolution is undeniable, transforming industries and changing the way we work and live. Many experts refer to this shift as the AI Revolution.
AI is advancing at an exponential rate, from a futuristic possibility to a technology that most people use in some capacity every day. Satya Nadella, the chairman and CEO of Microsoft, has described AI as “perhaps the most transformational technology of our time, and healthcare is perhaps AI’s most pressing application.”
This transformation is urgently needed. In 2017, the United Kingdom’s National Health Services (NHS) projected a global shortage of 18 million medical professionals by 2030. In the U.S., the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) estimates that the country will face a shortage of 40,000 primary care physicians by 2036. AI is poised to alleviate this crisis by optimizing healthcare delivery, enhancing diagnostics, and reshaping the very design of medical facilities.
While widespread implementation of AI care delivery is in its early stages, Carlos Liñán, a VCBO associate principal and medical planner, is preparing for this shift now.
"As healthcare designers, we must begin having conversations now to design healthcare facilities that can adapt and accommodate the needs of the future," he said.
Building hospitals, clinics, and other care facilities that will be able to keep up with our rapidly advancing technology is not necessarily a simple task. In this article, Carlos discusses how he believes healthcare facilities will change in response to AI, and what designers can do now to prepare.
The Impact of AI on Medical Care
AI provides a simple definition of its own technology: “…a field of science that enables machines to learn, reason, and act like humans.” But what does that mean in a healthcare context?
AI systems can process vast amounts of medical data at unprecedented speeds, identify patterns, and even predict outcomes with increasing accuracy. This ability to learn and improve over time makes AI an invaluable tool for medical professionals. From automating administrative tasks to diagnosing diseases earlier and with greater precision, AI is set to affect healthcare at every level.
Beyond direct patient care, AI is also transforming the design and operation of healthcare facilities. In December 2024, the American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) published a study analyzing AI’s rapid integration into the healthcare system and its long-term impact on healthcare facility planning. The study identified three primary areas of transformation:
- Operations: AI is automating repetitive administrative tasks such as patient scheduling, claims processing, and inventory management. This streamlines hospital operations, reduces wait times, and allows staff to dedicate more time to direct patient care.
- Care Delivery: AI-powered virtual consultations and remote monitoring systems are increasing access to healthcare, particularly in underserved and rural areas.
- Research: AI's ability to store, process, and analyze massive datasets is accelerating medical research.
As AI continues to revolutionize healthcare, its influence will extend beyond clinical settings, reshaping the infrastructure of healthcare facilities to accommodate these advancements.
How AI is Reshaping Healthcare Facilities
Imaging and Diagnostics
AI is already proving invaluable in imaging, helping radiologists analyze X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. Traditional imaging analysis can be time-consuming and prone to human error, but AI-driven tools can process thousands of images in minutes, identifying anomalies that might otherwise go unnoticed. For instance, AI is being used to detect subtle signs of cancer, assess cardiac scans, and even generate 3D models of arteries to pinpoint high-risk plaques — an essential step in preventing heart attacks. The Mayo Clinic is conducting studies using AI to detect early signs of ventricular dysfunction and calcium deposits in coronary arteries, conditions that often go unnoticed until they cause serious complications.
This shift will redefine the workflow of digital imaging diagnostics, placing radiologists and technicians in a more orchestrational role, overseeing AI-driven smart equipment. As a result, medical facilities will require dedicated AI command centers and larger, more sophisticated data storage rooms to accommodate the vast amounts of information being processed. AI is also allowing physicians to work remotely, providing diagnoses and overseeing procedures from separate locations. This decentralization of care means that hospitals will need to design remote-friendly workspaces that support telemedicine and virtual consultation workflows.
Surgery
AI’s growing role in surgical services is another area poised for significant change. While robotic-assisted surgery has already made strides in enhancing precision for minor procedures, AI will soon integrate into complex surgical operations, enabling robots to perform delicate, high-precision movements under physician supervision. This will require larger, more technology-oriented operating rooms equipped to house robotics, AI-driven monitoring systems, and the necessary infrastructure to support advanced surgical procedures.
Layout & Delivery Models
Beyond the operating room, AI is reshaping workflow and layout within healthcare facilities. With AI handling many routine processes, fewer personnel may be required in certain areas, while the demand for AI-equipped workstations and centralized data centers will increase. These data centers will need to support the real-time processing of patient records, imaging results, and diagnostic information, ensuring faster access to care and more efficient treatment delivery.
Data Flow
One of the "seven flows of healthcare" commonly discussed during hospital design is data information—making sure hospital staff can receive the critical health data they need to make proper medical decisions.
"I believe data flow will take on a much larger role in hospital design as AI use continues to grow," Carlos said. "It will become even more critical than it is now to provide the best medical care, and the facility will have to adapt accordingly."
Currently, managing patient information requires centralized areas where nurses and staff handle medical records, schedule appointments, and facilitate private physician-patient interactions. Due to cabling constraints, data centers must be strategically located within a certain distance to ensure efficient connectivity.
While the fundamental flow of information will remain the same, its scale and impact will increase significantly. To prepare for this shift, Carlos argues that healthcare facilities must allocate space now for additional equipment and evolving technology, ensuring that hospitals and clinics remain adaptable to future advancements in AI-powered healthcare.
AI & Healthcare Design
As AI-driven healthcare delivery evolves, it will inevitably shape the design of medical facilities. As architects and designers, it is our job to help clients future-proof their buildings to adapt to unknown advancements in AI and robotics. This means creating scalable data centers, enhanced electrical infrastructure, and modular layouts that allow for seamless integration of future technologies.
"One of the main challenges is staying ahead of the game and designing healthcare facilities for technology that isn't going to be ready for ten to fifteen years," Carlos said. "While we have an idea of what AI is going to look like in the future, we still have to design flexibility so that our hospitals and clinics can adapt as our comprehension of what is possible through artificial intelligence continues to expand."
Carlos believes future hospitals and clinics will prioritize smart infrastructure, integrating AI-driven predictive analytics for patient flow management, automated diagnostics, and real-time environmental adjustments. AI-powered robotics may reduce the need for large patient wards by enabling more at-home treatments, shifting the focus of facility design toward outpatient and telemedicine-friendly spaces.
"Future-ready buildings are a huge consideration in healthcare design. We want to design facilities that can effectively provide care for decades to come, not buildings that are going to be outdated in a few years," Carlos added. "We are already having those conversations with clients to figure out what their goals are for the future and how they want to integrate artificial intelligence into their buildings."
Understanding a client's openness to adopting new technology helps determine the level of flexibility required in facility design. Identifying areas that will be heavily AI- or robotics-driven is a key part of this process, as these spaces must be designed with adaptability in mind. This includes ensuring robust electrical infrastructure capable of supporting advanced AI systems, robotics, and data processing needs, as well as thoughtfully planned layouts that can accommodate future technological advancements.
The Future of Healthcare Delivery
The future of healthcare is intelligent, efficient, and patient-centered. AI is not just a tool to achieve this future — it is a catalyst for change. By enhancing diagnostics, optimizing operations, and redefining facility design, AI is helping to bridge the gap between growing medical demand and an increasingly strained healthcare workforce.
According to Carlos, the role of healthcare planners and designers and designers will be instrumental in this healthcare transformation. He suggests four key principles for architects to keep in mind:
- Understand your clients’ needs and their visions for the future. Listening is the first step in the planning and design process. Since AI keeps evolving, we need to help our clients anticipate the potential growth and what the future will look like for their facility and their system.
- Revisit your healthcare flows. Undeniably, AI already impacts the flow of healthcare information; however, its future role in the healthcare system will be on an even larger scale. AI will have a direct impact on the flow of providers, medication, equipment, and more.
- Design flexible spaces. Now more than ever, it is important to consider flexibility in a healthcare facility, for both growth (larger spaces to accommodate new equipment and technology) and reduction (due to the automatization and optimization of operational administrative services).
- “Keep up” with technology. Architects must stay current with the constant evolution of technology, equipment, and infrastructure and how this is impacting the planning and design of new healthcare facilities.
As we move forward, integrating AI into healthcare will require careful planning, collaboration between designers and medical professionals, and a commitment to ethical and responsible AI deployment. With this vision of the future and these important design principles, architects and planners can have a major impact on the quality of healthcare patients will receive in their future hospitals.
About the Contributors
Carlos has a passion for the evolution of new technologies and their impact on the design of healthcare facilities. He is an advocate for creating environments that will serve the community, and contribute to patient care and employee satisfaction. He is responsible for the design, building layout, medical planning, and equipment planning/coordination for medical and laboratory facilities. He is a liaison between healthcare professionals, architects, engineers, and general contractors to facilitate accurate planning and coordination of complex medical and laboratory equipment
Bri has been writing the Column for VCBO since 2023. She enjoys the chance to talk to industry professionals and learn about their passion for architecture and design.