The Architecture of Hospitals

What makes the difference between sickness and health? What factors spark recovery and discourage deterioration? The idea that the architecture of a hospital contributes to a patient's well-being dates back to the eighteenth century, and has influenced health care facility design ever since. Recent French and German examples suggest that good architecture can contribute to an agreeable, orderly, and well-maintained environment. American evidence-based design recently compared the effects of various spatial factors and provided, for the first time, indisputable evidence of architecture's positive influence. The Architecture of Hospitals considers both that kind of influence and the position of the hospital as a public, representative building with special societal functions--an ideal vehicle for progressive design. This richly illustrated book includes, along with essays and in-depth historical studies, a selection of groundbreaking new designs.