Architects' priorities for hospital-ward design criteria: Application of choice-based conjoint analysis in architectural research

The aims of this study are to assess architects' priorities and preferences when designing hospital wards and to explore how their priorities might differ as a consequence of their previous spatial experience as patients in hospital wards and their familiarity with relevant policies and guidance. It also examines the use of a relatively new method in architectural research: conjoint analysis. We used choice-based conjoint analysis, together with hierarchical Bayes estimation, to assess the utilities assigned to 10 ward design criteria, which were elicited from experts in hospital design. A sample of 119 chartered architects in the United Kingdom completed the web-based survey. The results suggest that the top priority of architects designing hospital wards is to create a view to a nature landscape, followed by good surveillance from nurses and easy access to sanitary facilities. We show that conjoint analysis is a valuable tool for understanding the architectural priorities of professional designers.