While physicians are taught the principle of first do no
harm,schools of architecture rarely educate students in elements
of design that promote or impede healing. Hospitals
are designed to deliver state-of-the-art medical treatment in
the most efficient way possible. While it is well-documented
that stress, depression, and anxiety have a deleterious effect
on health,3 modern hospitals, with their emphasis on diagnosing,
curing, and treating, have become noisy, cluttered,
institutional environments with little regard for the potentially
detrimental effects these environments have on the patients
physical or psychological well-being. In recent years,
hospital design has begun to include esthetic aspects but for
the purpose of enhancing patient satisfaction as a means of
attracting consumers.