The healthcare designers at Anshen & Allen have teamed up with the International Facility Management Association’s Health Care Council to design the “Green Patient Lab”. The room is a traveling exhibit that displays how easily and effectively sustainable practices can be applied in the healthcare setting. Historically, hospitals and other healthcare facilities have been slow to catch up to the green movement because of their 24-hour-a-day operating schedule and need for highly durable and cleanable materials.
Finally, the need for natural materials and energy efficiency has taken hold. The Green Patient Lab proves that sustainable design can improve patient care, increase efficiency, and reduce the anxiety of medical staff, patients, and families. The 400-sq.-ft. room displays materials and technologies that are economically viable, readily available, and appropriate for use in intensive healthcare settings. Placards throughout describe the design decisions and the benefits of each. Many strategies draw on the principles of evidence-based design, reflecting research into the ways that healthcare architecture and interior design can improve medical outcomes, financial performance, and consumer satisfaction. Visitors to the exhibit have the opportunity to give feedback by filling out a survey.
The Green Patient Room takes practical, cost-effective steps to reduce resource consumption while improving patient health. Low-flow rate laminar flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets minimize water consumption. High-performance lighting, glass, and insulation systems, along with extensive use of natural lighting, cut energy costs. Non-toxic materials low in VOC emissions are used throughout to improve air quality and speed patient recovery. 
The room is organized into three zones: patient, family, and staff. Each area is meant to improve patient care by increasing comfort and minimizing disorder and stress. The patient zone, which includes the bathroom and much of the bedroom, is designed to give patients as much control over their environment as possible. Potentially intimidating medical equipment is discreetly located on one side of the bed, easily accessible to medical staff yet out of sight of patients and their families.
The family zone is designed to encourage family stays, in response to studies showing that families who visit frequently and stay longer are more involved in patient care, helping to improve patient well-being and facilitate healing. Reminiscent of a living room, this family space includes a sleeper sofa, television, desktop space, and other amenities.
The staff zone is organized to accommodate staff workflow and offer better access to equipment by reducing clutter and improving lighting, thereby helping minimize injury and medical error. A dedicated work area provides electronic charting, a hand-washing sink, and desk space.
This room also features an outdoor terrace with seating area, coffee table, and plants. A terrace may be difficult to incorporate in many healthcare settings, because of regulations, safety, buildings codes, and conventional construction practices, but it illustrates the benefits of connecting patients to the outdoors. Studies show that patients with views to nature heal more quickly. The low-wall displacement ventilation system is also uncommon in the United States, but reduces energy use and improves indoor air quality.
http://www.anshen.com/data/ideas/Greening%20Patient%20Experience%20brochure.pdf