Research shows that the quality of both the social and physical environment matter in healthcare settings.

Views of nature from hospital rooms continue to be important to patients' well-being.

The physical environment should support the work of caregivers.

Every staff member makes a contribution to the recovery of patients.

In late May, 2026, I was hospitalized for unexpected surgery (thankfully with a good outcome). Ironically, the hospital where I was treated is one I had personally researched. It was part of a field study I did with Claudia Andrade in 2013 involving hospitals in the US and Portugal. The research was funded by a grant from the Academy of Architecture for Health Foundation.

Units at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital

For the research, I studied units in the United States: two units in Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, Connecticut, now affiliated with the Yale New Haven Health System. At the time of the research, one unit on the 4th floor was unrenovated; the other was part of a 5.5-million-dollar renovation in 2013, designed by Moser, Pilon, and Nelson Architects (now part of QA M). This renovated orthopedic unit, called 4.2, was where I recently recovered from surgery.

The “New” Unit Has Worn Well

This “new” unit, now some 13 years old, looks remarkably as it did when I........

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