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HOSPITAL FLOOR PLAN

Hospital floor plan maker, room by room.

Lay out a nursing unit of single patient rooms, each with its bathroom, around a nurse station and its support rooms, or an emergency department of curtained bays, treatment rooms and a resuscitation room, in 2D, then walk it in 3D.

No sign-up needed to try. Desktop recommended for the editor.

3D model of the Bramble Court medical-surgical unit template: eleven single patient rooms on a double-loaded corridor, each with a bed on its headwall, a sleeper chair and recliner by the window and its own bathroom with a shower, a central nurse station with the medication room, clean supply and soiled utility, an elevator lobby with a family lounge and a staff lounge
The inpatient unit template in Present mode: eleven single patient rooms on an 8 ft 4 in corridor, about 7,100 sq ft. Made in FloorPlanCraft.
  • 280 sq fta medical-surgical patient bedroom in the VA's space criteria, with a 70 sq ft toilet and shower [1]
  • 3 ftclear on both sides and at the foot of each bed, in one state's licensing rule [2]
  • 8 ftclear corridor width in the VA's criteria, for beds and two stretchers to pass [1, 3]
  • 80 sq ftan emergency department bay or cubicle; 120 sq ft a treatment room [4]

ROOM SIZES AND CLEARANCES

How big is a patient room, and how much room does an emergency department need?

Federal space criteria program each hospital room in net square feet: the VA's for its medical centers, the Defense Health Agency's for military hospitals. Clear floor areas and bed clearances come from the FGI Guidelines, which states adopt in their licensing rules; the figures below are read in the federal criteria, in a white paper FGI publishes and in one state's rule. [1, 5, 3, 4, 2]

Hospital planning figures
FigureValueWhat it is forSource
Single patient bedroom280 NSF (VA); 360 NSF (DoD)One bed per room; DoD plans every medical-surgical bedroom single occupancyVA PG-18-9 ch. 100; DoD ch. 410 [1, 5]
Patient toilet and shower70 NSF (VA); 60 NSF (DoD)One per bedroom: an accessible toilet, lavatory and showerVA PG-18-9 ch. 100; DoD ch. 410 [1, 5]
Bed clearance3 ft (914 mm)On both sides and at the foot of each bed, in a 1-bed room of at least 120 sq ft clearMichigan R 325.45275 [2]
Corridor8 ft (2,438 mm) clearFor beds, equipment and two stretchers or wheelchairs to passVA PG-18-9 ch. 100, ch. 256 [1, 3]
Nurse station160 NSF (VA); 120 NSF and up (DoD)One per unit; DoD adds 30 NSF for every four bedrooms over twelveVA PG-18-9 ch. 100; DoD ch. 410 [1, 5]
Unit support rooms100 to 120 NSF eachMedication, nourishment, clean utility and soiled utility rooms (DoD's soiled utility 90 NSF)VA PG-18-9 ch. 100; DoD ch. 410 [1, 5]
ED bay or cubicle80 sq ftA curtained bay for a patient who needs a stretcher; a treatment room 120 sq ftFGI white paper (2018) [4]
ED exam / treatment room160 NSF; 200 NSF isolationThe isolation room behind a 170 NSF anteroomVA PG-18-9 ch. 256 [3]
Resuscitation room350 NSFRoom for a second stretcher, in sight of the nurse area, with direct access from the ambulance entranceVA PG-18-9 ch. 256 [3]
Triage room150 NSFFlow-through: in from the waiting room, out into the treatment areaVA PG-18-9 ch. 256 [3]

Your state's licensing rules (most adopt an edition of the FGI Guidelines), the building and fire codes, accessibility standards, your infection control risk assessment and a hospital architect or clinical planner decide room sizes, clearances and adjacencies for your project.

These figures are published guidance for an early layout, and they differ from place to place. FloorPlanCraft does not certify a plan as safe, accessible, licensable or code-compliant; confirm sizes, exits and accessibility with your local authority and qualified professionals.

ROOMS AND ITEMS

What the inpatient unit template includes

Bramble Court is one nursing wing of eleven single patient rooms on a double-loaded corridor 8 ft 4 in wide between its walls, about 7,100 sq ft. Each room has the same layout: a staff zone at the door with a hand-wash sink, a wall station (sanitizer, gloves, sharps) and a workstation on wheels; the bed centred on its headwall, with the patient monitor beside it, an IV pole and a vitals stand at its head, 3 ft clear at both sides and 4 ft at its foot; a family zone by the window with a sleeper chair opened out, a visitor's armchair and the patient's recliner, their upholstery changing colour from room to room; a white clinical wardrobe; and its own bathroom with a toilet, basin and a curbless roll-in shower with a fold-down seat. Seven rooms line one side of the corridor and four the other, either side of the support core: soiled utility, clean supply, an open nurse station with sight lines along the corridor, and the medication room behind it. The elevator lobby at the unit's entrance opens to a family lounge, nourishment and the staff lounge; an equipment alcove sits at the corridor's far end by the exit. A second starter, Kestrel Bay (an emergency department of about 6,800 sq ft with a walk-in waiting room and triage, an ambulance entrance, ten curtained bays round a central station, two treatment rooms, an isolation room with its anteroom, a resuscitation room and support rooms), is in the template picker too. Item sizes are the planner's concept models, not a particular maker's products; check yours with the supplier. Open the 6,800 sq ft emergency department template.

Rooms in the template: 655.8 m² (7,058 ft²) in all
RoomWidth × depthArea
Elevator lobby6 × 5.7 m34.2 m² (368 ft²)
Family lounge6 × 5 m30 m² (323 ft²)
Nourishment2.4 × 5 m12 m² (129 ft²)
Staff lounge3.6 × 5 m12.6 m² (136 ft²)
Staff toilet2 × 2.7 m5.4 m² (58 ft²)
Patient room 14.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 12.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Patient room 24.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 22.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Patient room 34.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 32.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Patient room 44.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 42.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Patient room 54.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 52.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Patient room 64.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 62.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Patient room 74.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 72.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Patient room 84.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 82.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Patient room 94.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 92.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Patient room 104.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 102.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Patient room 114.5 × 8 m29 m² (313 ft²)
Bathroom 112.4 × 2.9 m7 m² (75 ft²)
Corridor34 × 10.2 m125.1 m² (1,346 ft²)
Soiled utility2.7 × 5 m13.5 m² (145 ft²)
Clean supply2.7 × 5 m13.5 m² (145 ft²)
Medication room2.7 × 5 m13.5 m² (145 ft²)

Measured on the plan's wall lines, as the planner reports room areas; a room that is not a rectangle gives its outer width and depth.

Key items in the template
Catalog itemWidth × depthIn templateHow the template uses it
Electric med-surg hospital bed · raised back1,016 × 2,202 mm6One per room, centred on its headwall; teal trim in every other room
Electric med-surg hospital bed · raised back · soft blue1,016 × 2,202 mm5The same bed with soft blue trim, in the rooms between
Horizontal patient headwall with light and nurse call2,134 × 180 mm11On the wall behind each bed, 1,150 mm up
Wall-mounted patient monitor on articulated bracket360 × 360 mm11Beside each headwall, 1,350 mm up
Vital signs monitor on rolling stand584 × 584 mm11At the head of each bed, window side
IV pole with infusion pump610 × 610 mm13At each bed's head, staff side; two in the equipment alcove
Height-adjustable overbed table · C-base960 × 450 mm11Parked past the foot of each bed
Bedside cabinets · Standard Laminate — Hospital500 × 500 mm11At the head, window side
Patient vinyl recliner · leg support stowed794 × 953 mm4The patient's chair by the window, in teal
Patient vinyl recliner · leg support stowed · warm taupe794 × 953 mm4The same recliner in warm taupe
Patient vinyl recliner · leg support stowed · deep slate blue794 × 953 mm3The same recliner in deep slate blue
Family sleeper chair · deployed914 × 2,032 mm4Opened out along the window for family overnight, matching the recliner
Family sleeper chair · deployed · warm taupe914 × 2,032 mm4The same sleeper chair in warm taupe
Family sleeper chair · deployed · deep slate blue914 × 2,032 mm3The same sleeper chair in deep slate blue
Chair · Armchair — Studio780 × 820 mm11A visitor's chair in the family zone
Clinical wall station · sanitizer, gloves and sharps864 × 190 mm11By each room's door, 1,050 mm up
Surgical scrub sinks · Pediatric Clinic Wash — Hospital650 × 550 mm12Staff hand washing at each room's door and at the nurse station
Workstation on wheels · monitor and keyboard620 × 650 mm13Charting at each room's door; two at the nurse station
Curbless roll-in shower with curtain1,525 × 990 mm11In each bathroom: fold-down seat, grab bars, hand shower and curtain
Clinical wardrobe · two-door white laminate900 × 600 mm12One per room past the bed's foot; one in clean supply
Reception & Welcome · Fluted Oak Concierge Desk with Lowered Return — Workplace2,235 × 918 mm1The nurse station's two-level counter on the corridor
Automated medication dispensing cabinet · single tower673 × 686 mm1In the medication room
Lockable medication cart914 × 597 mm2In the medication room
Red emergency crash cart with defibrillator933 × 559 mm1At the nurse station
Open clean linen distribution cart1,000 × 664 mm1In clean supply
Soiled linen hamper · pedal lid520 × 520 mm1In soiled utility, by the sluice sink
Manual wheelchair with footrests610 × 1,067 mm2Parked in the elevator lobby
What you can plan in FloorPlanCraft
FeatureWhat it doesWhere
Rooms and wallsSet each room's inside size in metres or feet; add doors and windows; join rooms that share a wall.2D
Catalog itemsPlace items in 2D, then move them in 2D or 3D, duplicate them or turn them with the rotation dial; Undo and Redo for every change.2D and 3D
Space aroundShows the gap on each side of the selected item, such as the aisle beside a station or a table.2D item card
Plan checkLists the plan's clearance warnings and blocking problems, such as overlapping items or a blocked doorway, to review.Top bar
Present and walkthroughA clean 3D view with each finish called out, and a walk at eye height with W A S D or the on-screen steps.3D
Save and shareExport the plan without an account; sign in to save versions and publish a view-only link.Share

QUESTIONS

Hospital floor plan questions

How big is a hospital patient room?

The VA's space criteria program a medical-surgical patient bedroom at 280 net sq ft with a 70 sq ft toilet and shower; the Defense Health Agency's at 360 net sq ft with a 60 sq ft toilet and shower. One state's licensing rule asks a 1-bed room for at least 120 sq ft of clear floor and 3 ft clear on both sides and at the foot of the bed. The template's rooms are about 290 sq ft inside the walls with a 67 sq ft bathroom. Your state's rules decide. [1, 5, 2]

How do you lay out a patient room?

The Defense Health Agency's criteria describe four zones: the patient zone (the headwall, bed, overbed table and a view out), the care provider zone (charting, or a computer on wheels, and supplies), the family zone (a recliner or sleeper chair, a side chair and a side table) and the hygiene zone (the toilet and shower room, with hand washing where staff enter and leave). The template puts the bathroom and the staff zone by the door, the bed on the side wall and the family by the window. [5]

How wide should a hospital corridor be?

The VA's criteria ask for corridors at least 8 ft clear, so that beds, equipment and two stretchers or wheelchairs can pass. The template's corridor is 8 ft 4 in between its walls, with the nurse station's counter set back from it and the equipment kept in an alcove off it. [1, 3]

What support rooms does a nursing unit need?

The VA's and the Defense Health Agency's criteria both list a nurse station, a medication room, a nourishment room, clean and soiled utility rooms, equipment and stretcher storage, a crash cart alcove, a family lounge, a staff lounge and staff toilets, each programmed at 20 to 160 net sq ft. The template has each of them for its eleven beds. [1, 5]

How is an emergency department laid out?

Walk-in patients come through the waiting room and a triage room that opens both to the waiting room and to the treatment area; ambulances come through their own entrance, with the resuscitation room right off it and in sight of the nurse area. Treatment is in curtained bays (about 80 sq ft each in a white paper FGI publishes) and enclosed treatment rooms (120 sq ft there; the VA programs 160 net sq ft), round a central station that can see them. The Kestrel Bay template follows that order. [3, 4]

How big is a trauma or resuscitation room?

The VA's emergency department criteria program a resuscitation room at 350 net sq ft, sized so a second stretcher fits in a surge, with every resuscitation item within arm's reach. The template's room is 6 × 6 m on its wall lines (about 370 sq ft inside), with the trauma stretcher on its headwall, a procedure light, crash and airway carts, and doors to the ambulance entrance and the treatment area. [3]

Will FloorPlanCraft check my hospital plan against the code?

No. Plan check flags overlapping items, blocked doorways and the clearance guidance it carries; it does not check medical gases, infection control, pressure rooms, life safety, egress, accessibility or your state's licensing rules. The figures on this page are published planning references. A layout is a concept for discussion: a hospital architect or clinical planner, your licensing agency and your building and fire officials must review it.

Do I need an account, and can I use it on a phone?

No account is needed to open a template, edit it and export a plan; sign in to save versions and publish a view-only link. You can read this page and open shared plans on a phone; for drawing the plan, use a desktop or laptop.

References

Sources of the figures on this page, read on 30 October 2026.

  1. PG-18-9 Space Planning Criteria, Chapter 100: Medical / Surgical Patient Care Unit (March 1, 2022)U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, via the Whole Building Design Guide. §5: Patient Bedroom 280 NSF; Patient Toilet / Shower 70 NSF (one accessible toilet @ 25 NSF, one accessible counter lavatory @ 16 NSF, one accessible shower @ 28 NSF, ABA clearances and circulation); Nurse Station 160 NSF; Medication Room 100 NSF; Nourishment Room 100 NSF; Clean Utility Room 120 NSF; Soiled Utility Room 120 NSF; Crash Cart Alcove 20 NSF; Wheelchair / Stretcher Alcove 50 NSF; Family Lounge 120 NSF; Staff Toilet 60 NSF. §6E: corridors designed to a minimum of 8 feet clear width to accommodate passage of equipment or beds and two stretchers and/or wheelchairs.Planning criteria for VA medical centers, in net square feet per room.
  2. Michigan Administrative Code R 325.45275, Patient room (Part 9, Environment of Care for Health Facilities)Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. A 1-bed patient room must provide a minimum of 120 square feet of clear floor area; a patient room must have not less than a 3-foot clearance available on both sides and at the foot of each bed; a toilet room opening into the room; handwashing facilities in each patient room and each connecting toilet room.One state's licensing rule (effective February 21, 2020); your state's adopted rules and reviewers decide.
  3. PG-18-9 Space Planning Criteria, Chapter 256: Emergency Department (March 1, 2022)U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, via the Whole Building Design Guide. §5: General Exam / Treatment Room 160 NSF; Airborne Infection Isolation Exam / Treatment Room 200 NSF and its anteroom 170 NSF; Triage Room 150 NSF (direct access to and visual observation of the waiting room, flow-through from waiting into the clinical area); Resuscitation Room 350 NSF (designed to take a second stretcher in a surge, with a direct line of sight from the primary nurse care area and a secondary access directly from the ambulance / EMS entrance); ED Medication Room 100 NSF; ED Clean Utility Room 60 NSF; ED Soiled Utility Room 80 NSF. §6: central staff work areas with direct visual control of the resuscitation rooms; corridors a minimum of 8 feet clear width.Planning criteria for VA emergency departments, in net square feet per room.
  4. A Case for the Low-Acuity Patient Treatment Station (January 2018)Facility Guidelines Institute. Patients who need a bed are typically housed in a bay or cubicle (80 square feet), a treatment room (120 square feet) or a fast-track room (100 square feet) in the emergency facility.A white paper FGI publishes free; the FGI Guidelines themselves are sold and were not read.
  5. DoD Space Planning Criteria, Chapter 410: Nursing Units (July 1, 2017)Defense Health Agency Facilities Division, via the Whole Building Design Guide. §4.2: Bedroom, Medical-Surgical 360 NSF (all medical-surgical bedrooms single occupancy); Toilet / Shower, Medical-Surgical Bedroom 60 NSF; Nurse Station 120 NSF minimum, plus 30 NSF for every four bedrooms over twelve. §4.3: Medication Room, Nourishment Room and Clean Utility Room 120 NSF each; Soiled Utility Room 90 NSF; Equipment Storage 120 NSF; Stretcher Alcove 60 NSF; Crash Cart Alcove 30 NSF. §9.11: four zones in the patient room: patient (headwall, bed, over-bed table, window view, wardrobe), care provider (charting, or a mobile computer cart), family / visitor (a recliner / sleeper chair, a side chair and a side table) and hygiene (the toilet / shower room, with hand washing in it and in the room or entry alcove, conveniently located for care providers entering and leaving).Planning criteria for military hospitals, in net square feet per room.

Open the inpatient unit template

An editable 2D plan, 3D view and walkthrough of a nursing wing with eleven single patient rooms, their bathrooms, a nurse station and its support rooms. No sign-up to try.

Start from the inpatient unit template