Engineering students compete in national hospital design competition
Four CU 91Ҹ engineering students competed in a national healthcare design challenge, designing a fictional cancer center for an underserved community in Houston, Texas.
Architectural engineering undergraduates Colletta Schiller, Eli Cleary, Parker Cardozo and AJ Pachecoeach served as the engineer on four different student teams inthe 2026 American Society for Health Care Engineering Planning, Design & Construction (PDC) Student Challenge held in March at the PDC Summit in Houston, Texas.
“It was one of the most amazing weekends of my life,” saidCardozo, a junior who was a member of the winning team.
From left to right, Colletta Schiller, Parker Cardozo, Professor Gregor Henze, AJ Pacheco and Eli Cleary stand in the lobby of the Hilton Americas hotel in Houston.
During the 48-hour challenge, students from five universities and multiple disciplines—including architecture, engineering, construction management and nursing—collaborated in an intensive design charrette to create a fictional 40,000-square-foot cancer center for Houston’s Third Ward, a community facing both high poverty and cancer rates.
The students visited a modern 400,000-foot oncology institute to view how the spaces were organized, including imaging, radiology, infusion and surgery. Judges included individuals with engineering, nursing, architectural and construction management backgrounds.
The top two teams presented their design solution at a PDC Summit conference session.
“It was an extremely rewarding experience,”said Professor Gregor Henze, the group’s faculty advisor. “Each student grew beyond their original disciplinary focus to become an integral part of their design team, strengthening the solutions they developed together. I am immensely proud of their accomplishments and learned so much myself from the experience.”
Before the challenge, participants knew only that the project would be related to healthcare, said Cardozo. Although the competition is designed for graduate students, all of CU 91Ҹ’s engineering participants were juniors.
“I knew it would be a challenge,” Cardozo said. “I also knew that the learning experience would be great. It was far greater than I could have imagined.
“The challenge pushed me to collaborate with students from different majors the same way professionals do,” Cardozo added. “Architecture students worked closely with engineers, and engineers and architects alike had to understand the roles and needs of nurses.”
Q&A with Parker Cardozo: "Connecting my role as an engineer to the overall patient experience"
What did you learn from the challenge?
I learned it's important to understand the community’s needs, that this primarily Black community experiences high cancer and high cancer mortality rates along with lower access to insurance and healthcare. I learned to think beyond the engineer’s role and consider the architect's perspective.
Parker Cardozo
What was it like being on a team with non-engineers?
One of our team members was a nursing student. That was especially impactful because she had firsthand experience caring for cancer patients. She brought a tremendous amount of heart to the project and consistently grounded our work in the human experience.
Her perspective helped us to consider the nurses’ working environment and how to make care more effective. At the same time, she pushed us to consider how the space could reduce stress and discomfort for patients going through difficult treatments. Her focus on the human side of healthcare reminded us that this was more than just a project or a grade. Our work could have a meaningful impact on people’s lives.
Was there anything that surprised you?
Before the event, people said, ‘you're not going to get any sleep.’ I thought that was a joke. But I didn't get much. Most participants slept less than six hours during the 48-hour challenge.
Also, I didn't know what to expect. I worried how I was going to complete complex calculations or build 91Ҹ that would normally take months. But it quickly became clear that the experience was more about connecting my role as an engineer to the overall patient experience.
For example,patients who undergo all-day infusion treatments may experience fatigue and vertigo. For those experiencing vertigo, a loud HVAC system can be especially uncomfortable. Larger ducts help reduce noise levels.
How did it feel to win?
Hearing our group announced as the winner definitely caught us off guard. From 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Sunday, we were just trying to stay focused. About 20 minutes before our presentation, we scrapped our original idea and pretty much winged it.
What was it like to participate in a competition that was primarily geared toward graduate students?
I'm only a third-year engineering student. I had many doubts going into the competition. I had never done anything like this before.
Professor Henze told me, ‘Just focus on what you're learning in class and you’ll be alright,’ referring to the building energy systems engineering class. He was right.
By Monday I was sad it was over. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I could have said no because I was scared and missed out on this opportunity, and I don't want anybody else to do that. If you want to participate, just do it.
Q&A with Colletta Schiller: "Designing to meet the needs of a community"
Why did you get involved in this competition?
I am very interested in mechanical systems engineering. While I did not know much about healthcare architecture before attending the competition, I knew it would be a great opportunity to learn about different applications of my degree and to work with different disciplines.
Colletta Schiller
What did you learn from it?
I learned to collaborate with different design disciplines and to communicate the importance of my work. I also determined how to best utilize my time while the design was being developed. Both in the team setting and, in the presentations, I had to adjust how I was communicating to highlight the main points rather than the technical aspects of engineering. I eventually focused on how design choices would impact users rather than the equipment and machinery.
What surprised you most from the challenge?
I was most surprised at how well thought-out and developed our design became. My team was able to finish with a detailed design of the building with several beautiful renders.
What was it like to present your design?
It was nerve-wracking and stressful, but incredibly rewarding. The professors and event coordinators provided a lot of feedback on effective presentation strategies and emphasized the pitch of the final presentation. The judges also provided great feedback.
What was your favorite part of the experience?
Collaborating with my teammates. Given the short time frame, we were not asked to design a full HVAC or structural system for the building, but rather to approach the design from one of three options—sustainability, resiliency or embodied carbon. At the end of the project, we were tasked to create boards describing the project, in combination with a presentation where we "pitched" our design to the judges. This was my first time designing to meet the needs of a community, and it was interesting to figure out how to pitch my work in a non-technical way.