The objective of this study was to compare two nursing unit designs in facilities for persons with AIDS. The two dependent variables were noise level and distance walked by nurses. There were two hypotheses. The first was that nursing staff would walk more in the large rectangular units. This has been suggested in previous studies (e.g., Trites et al. 1970). The second hypothesis was that noise levels would be lower in the more compact radial design because this design would use fewer staff. In addition, because patients are visible from the nursing station, they might be less likely to create noise by using the nurse call system. Although studies have measured noise levels on nursing units, these levels have not been compared for differing unit configurations. If both the hypotheses are supported, radial plans can be presumed more effective in these ways.