Nightingale ward, a hospital ward designed by Florence Nightingale that revolutionized hospital design. The number of beds allowed in a ward of given size was limited to permit the circulation of air and to enhance general cleanliness and the comfort of patients. Three sides of the ward were windowed to admit light and fresh air. Although multiple-bed wards are now obsolete in hospital design, the concerns and benefits that impelled Miss Nightingale to create them remain central to hospital planning.
