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Pairing state-of-the-art care facilities with nature-integrated, human-centered architecture, UCSF Health’s Helen Diller Hospital, designed by Herzog & de Meuron with HDR, broke ground in San Francisco’s Parnassus Heights neighborhood in April 2024. Notably, the future 880,000-square-foot hospital will feature an art program organized by New York–based Morris Adjmi Architects (MA) and local curator René de Guzman. Like the design of the vast building itself, the collection aims to foster a welcoming space for patients, staff, and visitors alike. Per a recent announcement, the multiyear program will include “site-specific commissions, immersive installations, and artwork by a wide range of artists—from emerging local talent to internationally acclaimed figures.”

Exterior view of UCSF Health’s Helen Diller Hospital. Image © Herzog & de Meuron, courtesy UCSF<

Adjmi, an Aldo Rossi protégé, is best known for designing high-end residential developments, often in post-industrial neighborhoods. His multidisciplinary firm has curated and commissioned artwork for its own hospitality, residential, and institutional projects; working with the context of health-care design, however, is new. UCSF’s long-standing commitment to therapeutic art offers MA the perfect place to start. The firm can build on similar site-specific collections at Precision Cancer Medicine and Bayfront Medical and draw inspiration from UCSF’s award-winning Art for Recovery initiative, which has empowered patients to share their stories through art, writing, and music. As Adjmi himself puts it, “this program represents the best of what we believe in—the power of art and design to create environments that are not only beautiful, but also restorative, uplifting, and deeply connected to the people they serve.”