The element of passion in a work of architecture, usually centered on formal composition, materials, and siting, tends to obscure serious critical attention accorded to a building’s lived qualities and too often ignores a building’s social meaning or compassionate intent. “Compassion in Architecture: Evidence-based Design for Health in Louisiana” represents an approach that reconciles such contradictory concerns in architecture. It is a call for a new era of social advocacy in architectural design, one that truly incorporates the formal, experiential, and human aspects of architecture.

The discussion centers on a method for improving treatment settings for underrepresented minority populations and medically underserved patients throughout Louisiana. The evidence-based research and design (EBR&D) process is applied to the reinvention of Louisiana’s network of community care clinics and public health support facilities.