La Infirmita

Healing architecture begins with the patient long before a building takes shape. It emerges from a development process that places the needs of those receiving and providing care at the very center of planning. La Infirmita: The Emergence of Healing Architecture is the first publication to focus on this process itself. Experts in architecture, architectural psychology, health economics, hospital planning, and the history of medicine explore how healing architecture can be systematically developed and sustainably embedded in practice. Using a five step framework, they outline the key steps on the path toward healing architecture: Researching, Reforming, Planning, Detailing, and Reflecting.

International case studies from ARGE Metron – Kopvol, Deubzer König Architekten, ARGE Herzog & de Meuron – Gruner, NORD Architects, Matteo Thun & Partners, and White Arkitekter complement the volume. These projects demonstrate the professional, planning, and organizational conditions required for innovative healthcare environments to emerge.

Grounded in research yet firmly practice-oriented, this book is aimed at architects, planners, researchers, clients, and decision-makers in healthcare. It shows how research, design, and health policy must work together to drive the sustainable evolution of hospital design and make the patients’ perceptions and experiences the benchmark for effective healthcare architecture.