Meet Bing Xue, an E. Todd Wheeler Health Fellow, Class of 2023

Why is healthcare design so important to you and why did you want to pursue a career in healthcare design?
Healthcare facilities are needed by everyone from birth to death and are filled with joy, tears, pain and despair. Therefore, as an architect, I believe that designing an optimal healthcare environment enriches people’s experience in enhancing their healing and improving their well-being.

My passion for healthcare design was fostered through my eight years of architectural study, especially my last two years at Clemson Architecture and Health Studio. The general architectural studies have shaped my design thinking that architectural spaces affect people’s physical and mental activity. Most buildings emphasize physical activities because of the real feelings they bring to users. However, through designing small memory care facilities to large community hospital projects, I have found that medical facilities could be used as a therapeutic method to meet people’s physical, psychological and emotional needs. Patients have physical illnesses, but mental illnesses can be devastating and sometimes even fatal. Therefore, a well-designed healthcare environment can reduce their physical pain and mental suffering and help them recover. As a result, I bring this passion and responsibility to all my design projects, which always led me to challenge difficulties and move forward.

What was it about the E. Todd Wheeler Health Fellowship that attracted you?
The fellowship provides me with an opportunity to align my interest in healthcare design with my future career, which allows me the opportunity to explore and grow quickly in the field of healthcare design. Also, I will be able to conduct research that interests me to continue my academic research and contribute its results to practice.

Has your mentor and colleagues given you the support, training, and resources to accomplish your goals?
My mentor and colleagues have given me tremendous support, training and resources to accomplish my goals. When having questions about my research project, I could talk with healthcare leaders firmwide and interview with clinicians at healthcare facilities. When doing practical projects, I could engage myself in different phases of the project. Last month, I participated in a cardboard mockup to fully understand users’ needs in these spaces. Also, I did a field measurement with my mentor to better understand the site context.

What anticipated goals and experiences were you most excited about when joining Perkins&Will?
I am excited to learn how Perkins&Will balances architectural design and construction to bring projects to fruition. In architecture school, we focus more on the design concept and neglect how to do the construction and how to communicate with users about their needs. Therefore, as a research and design-driven architecture firm, I believe Perkins&Will not only delivers its great design ideas, but more importantly, shows the world its ability to balance excellent design and execution.

What do you hope to do, see, or experience in the city where your fellowship is taking place?
I hope to attend more exhibitions in High Museum of Art, jog along the belt line and hike on various trails. I would also like to do more sketches and watercolors of Atlanta!

How would you describe Perkins&Will’s company culture (in 3 words)?
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion