ABSTRACT
Architects are increasingly using the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system to denote a building’s sustainability, and by proxy its overall architectural design quality in the eyes of its user/occupants. This chapter summarizes the trade-off between LEED certification and non-LEED certification in relation to resident health status and well-being and staff outcomes. It discusses the relationships between site and building attributes and biophilic design patterns. Healthcare provider organizations and their architects, interior designers, and landscape architects are ideal advocates to promote research that promotes environmental design excellence. Architects can lead the way as advocates in this regard for a rating system that unifies ecological sustainability with person-nature patterns and principles. In light of these findings, a single rating system fusing the current LEED system with biophilic design affordance appears to be warranted.
