Did the evidence-based design movement helped spur green health care?
It helped establish a relationship between buildings and outcomes. What we’re seeing now is a dimension that says, “Yes, evidence-based design is significant and should be a major driver. But the range of evidences that we’re viewing as important should extend beyond, say, rates of infection or recovery times.” I think sustainable buildings add an important and complementary dimension. As we can see from the raucous health-care debates now, it’s a very difficult sector of the economy to reform. How do you move it in a green direction? It’s important to connect mission to built-environment values. That’s a way to start the conversation and to embed a new method of thinking that could be a departure from the way health-care decisions were made in the past. I really value the significance of pulling people together during those initial integrated design charettes and saying, “What is this project about? Where’s the opportunity for us to make this building a reflection of our values, and h
