Objective: This study aims to comparatively examine traditional and modern hospital interiors in terms of building physics parameters and to reveal the effects of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) on patient comfort, recovery processes, and healthcare service quality. The research emphasizes that indoor environmental quality in healthcare facilities is a decisive factor not only in aesthetics and functionality but also in user health and safety.

Material and Method: The study is based on a literature-driven comparative analysis. The research material consists of 26 academic studies published within the last 15 years in SCI/SSCI-indexed peer-reviewed journals addressing the physical conditions of hospital interiors. Sources were retrieved from the Web of Science and Scopus databases using relevant keywords. The selected studies were classified under five main building physics parameters-lighting, thermal comfort, acoustic comfort, indoor air quality, and spatial organization-and thematically compared across traditional and modern hospital typologies.

Results: The findings indicate that modern hospitals demonstrate superior performance compared to traditional hospitals in terms of lighting uniformity, thermal stability, acoustic comfort, and spatial organization. Advanced façade systems, smart heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) solutions, sound-absorbing materials, and functional zoning strategies enhance user comfort and controllability in modern facilities. In contrast, traditional hospitals exhibit irregular environmental conditions due to limited envelope performance, greater spatial depth, and aging building systems.

Conclusion: The study concludes that the superior performance of modern hospital typologies does not result from a single design decision but from a holistic integration of advanced material and system technologies, evidence-based design approaches, and building automation. Although substantial improvements can be achieved in traditional hospitals through comprehensive renovation strategies, structural and contextual constraints may limit the extent of such enhancements.

Hospital design Hospital design and construction Health facility planning Health facility environment Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Thermal comfort Indoor air quality