Healthcare facilities are still places where patients, family members, caregivers, and administrators come together for the common purpose of restoring a patient to good health. The role of family members has changed from concerned bystanders to members of the care team. Family members are now expected to be fully involved in the healing process. The purpose of this research proposal is to closely examine attributes, tangible and non- tangible, contributing to healing and the built environment. This study will also try to identify attributes critical to the process of designing healing environments; and to develop a hierarchy of healing attributes to support healthcare designers in their problem-solving.