Faculty Scholars

About

David Allison is an alumni distinguished professor of architecture and director of Clemson University’s Graduate Program in Architecture + Health (A+H). The innovative A+H program at Clemson is the most comprehensive and structured program of its kind in the nation. It combines healthcare environment design, research, and scholarship with the aim of developing generalist-specialist graduates who are capable of engaging in healthful community design, planning and design of healthcare facilities, and the healthful design of the built environment. David received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture from Clemson. He is NCARB certified and is a licensed architect in South Carolina and North Carolina. He founded an annual Architecture for Health Educators Summit for the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health and is a Fellow and founding member of the American College of Healthcare Architects. Healthcare Design Magazine named David as one of the “Twenty Making a Difference” in 2007 and as one of the “Most Influential People in Healthcare Design” in 2009, 2010, and 2012. Design Intelligence Magazine named him one of the nation’s 30 Most Admired Design Educators in 2014-14. In 2019 he was recognized by Design Intelligence Magazine as one of the Nation’s Most Admired Design Educators, the Center for Health Design with its Changemaker Award and the American College of Healthcare Architects with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also received numerous other awards, including being named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects.

Visit Dr. Allison's Department Profile.

How their research is transforming health care

Allison’s research and scholarship focuses on relationships between health and the built environment at many scales from communities to healthcare settings. His work in healthcare facilities is concerned with balancing how they can be designed to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness, improve health and health outcomes, improve patient, family and staff satisfaction and how they can accommodate changing needs over time. He initiated Clemson’s award-winning collaborative Patient Room Prototype design initiative. He is a co-investigator on the $4 million-dollar AHRQ sponsor project Realizing Improved Patient Care Through Human Centered Design in the Operating Room [RIPCHD.OR]. He is working to transform health care by educating future design professionals who focus on the design of healthcare facilities and translating research into usable design knowledge for health environments. He is concerned with meeting the needs of patients, family, and staff and improving the quality care while minimizing operational costs, space, and resources in an ever-changing healthcare landscape.

Health Research Expertise Keywords

Built Environment, Architecture, Health Facilities, Architecture for Health, Healthcare Facilities, Healthcare Design, Flexibility, Patient-Centered Care, Patient Room Prototype, Healthy Community Planning and Design, Master Planning, Urban Design, Design, Design and Health, Health Care Quality