Akita City General Hospital Receives the 2025 Healthcare and Welfare Architecture Award

Kume Sekkei Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: 2-1-22 Shiomi, Koto-ku, Tokyo) is pleased to announce that the "Akita City General Hospital," which we designed, has received the 2025 Healthcare and Welfare Architecture Award.

Healthcare and Welfare Architecture Award
https://www.jiha.jp/awards/architectureaward/

Akita City General Hospital

[Designer's Comment]

This project was a long-term endeavor spanning approximately eight years, from the initial proposal selection to design, construction, demolition of the existing hospital, and site development. Having also designed the previous hospital building, we sought to inherit the history of supporting regional healthcare while considering the future of medical spaces for the elderly in Akita Prefecture—the most rapidly aging region in Japan—and how these spaces should function in the super-aging society that Japan as a whole will soon face.

Construction took place during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. By having our designers stationed on-site and engaging in continuous dialogue with hospital staff, we were able to implement operational improvements on the ground. In particular, the introduction of nurse corners—nursing hubs independent of the main staff station—and patient rooms equipped with toilets accessible directly from the bed were verified repeatedly through model rooms and refined through collaboration with the staff. Since the hospital began operations, these plans have led to increased efficiency in nursing workflows, more time spent by patients' sides, and tangible results such as reductions in physical restraints, estimated pressure ulcer incidence, and fall/tumble rates.

The "Healthcare and Welfare Architecture Award" is unique in that it evaluates the facility based on its actual operation without the designers being present for on-site inspections. We are deeply honored that Akita City General Hospital was recognized, as we view this as an award shared with the hospital staff who have mastered the use of this architecture through their daily operations. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone at Akita City General Hospital, the construction team, and all those involved in this project for their understanding and cooperation.

[Building Overview]

Name: Akita City General Hospital
Location: 4-30 Kawamoto Matsuoka-cho, Akita City, Akita Prefecture
Client: Akita City General Hospital (Local Independent Administrative Agency)
Designer: Kume Sekkei Co., Ltd.
Contractor: Shimizu, Sasaki, Hase-Koma, Ugo, Nunotani Construction Joint Venture
Total Floor Area: 35,427.15㎡
Number of Floors: 13 floors above ground
Structure: SRC, RC
Completion: 2022/09/30
Award: Healthcare and Welfare Architecture Award

[Design Concept]

A New Model for Medical Spaces in Municipal Hospitals Facing an Aging Population

This project involved the on-site reconstruction of a municipal hospital (396 beds) that had become aged and cramped. In Akita Prefecture, which has the highest aging rate in Japan, we aimed to create a future-oriented acute care hospital that anticipates regional super-aging, balancing high-quality medical care with economic efficiency.