ABSTRACT

The compendium of planning and design principles presented below is an attempt to give architectural expression to the aesthetic, functional, symbolic, and spiritual dimensions of a hospital’s internal elements, its connection to its immediate site, the role of environmental stewardship, and the importance of local culture and tradition. At the core is the intent to give expression to principles of sustainable architecture for health. Hospitalization is a nuanced, often stressful experience for the patient and family. Architects are well advised to first immerse themselves in the hospital experience, to explore its inner profundities. This is essential in order to fully appreciate the difficulty of caring for the sick, injured, and diseased on a day-today basis. The hospital as a type is not about to disappear anytime soon. They are growing in number as the earth’s population rapidly expands. The global inventory of hospitals at present does not come close to meeting global demand. To confound matters, hospitals are disproportionately distributed across the globe. Wealthier regions and nations tend to have far more hospital beds per capita compared to poorer regions and nations.