At this year’s AMFP Atlanta Healthcare Summit, a powerful theme emerged: rethinking what’s possible when space is scarce, but opportunity isn’t.
Our founder, Gil May, led a provocative conversation on one of healthcare’s most pressing challenges—how to backfill hospital space with impact. Alongside May Architecture Principal, Emily Marvel and leaders from Grady Health System, Emory Healthcare, Wellstar Health System, and TLC Engineering Solutions, the session explored what happens when healthcare systems view underutilized space not as leftover square footage, but as a launchpad for transformation.
In urban hospitals especially, every inch matters. When space becomes available, how it’s repurposed must be intentional, strategic, and designed to perform. The goal isn’t just to fill space, it’s to drive purpose.
The panel tackled how to evaluate program viability, align stakeholders early, mitigate risk, and implement phased solutions that minimize disruption in active environments. Because in today’s healthcare landscape, adaptability is everything.
These are the decisions that shape tomorrow’s systems. The ones that see architecture not as a backdrop, but as a catalyst for care. At May Architecture, we’re helping leaders across the country turn complexity into clarity and backfill into breakthrough.
