Evidence shows that changes in the architecture, design, and decor of health care facilities can improve patient care and in the long run reduce expenses. These essays detail the state of the research, look inside two hospitals that put some of these innovations into practice, and consider how design fits into the moral mission ofhealth care.

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This study assesses the extent of "first-cost green building construction premiums" in the healthcare sector based on data submitted by and interviews with 13 current LEED-certified and LEED-registered healthcare project teams, coupled with a literature survey of articles on the topics of actual and perceived first-cost premiums associated with green building strategies. This analysis covers both perceived and realized costs across a range of projects in this sector, leading to the following conclusions: Construction first-cost premiums may be lower than is generally perceived, and they appear to be independent of both building size and level of "green" achievement; projects are using financial incentives and philanthropy to drive higher levels of achievement; premiums are decreasing over time; and projects are benefiting from improvements in health and productivity which, although difficult to monetize, are universally valued.

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In 2010, a coalition of major U.S. health systems formed the Healthier Hospitals Initiative. Their aim was to improve sustainability and safety across the healthcare sector. Today, thousands of other health systems and hospitals have joined the effort by implementing sustainable operating practices, greening their supply chain, reducing their waste footprint, increasing their resiliency in the face of weather events driven by climate change, and pursuing sustainable building design and decarbonization. Despite this progress, many health systems lag in combining environmentally sustainable building design with what's known as "well building design" to create buildings that harm neither person or the planet. Hospitals and health systems can and must become better stewards of human health inside their buildings-and outside of them. This article briefly outlines the history and evolution of what are often called "healthy buildings," as well as the research-informed building-design interventions and operational protocols and policies that advance human health and well-being. A synthesis of best practices, it