The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the ideal possibilities in planning an ideal medium-sized hospital, and to incorporate these possibilities into the design of a general hospital for Blacksburg and the surrounding communities. Before any planning can be done, the requirements of the hospital must be agreed upon. By making a thorough research, one is able to determine the hospital needs of a community; the problems relating to planning, maintenance and operation of the hospital; the number of beds required; and the types of services to be offered. All these requirements will be affected by the extent of other existing facilities in the community and by those facilities in surrounding communities. When the number of beds that will be required, and the services to be offered have been decided upon, a program is developed. This program will show with reasonable completeness the requirements of each department of the hospital as to its approximate area, its major equipment, and the number and classification of personnel employed in the department. When the program is complete, and the site for the hospital has been selected, we can proceed with the planning of the building and the preparation of drawings for it. The following program gives a complete compilation of the hospital’s requirements, and enough information so that they may be readily translated into the actual size, shape, and arrangement of the eventual building, and the building’s relationship to the site. / Master of Science