Looking north towards the new parking garage, we see the interplay of stately original hospital building (Nash) to the right, the main hospital building to the left, the blue all-weather awning, the bright yellow umbrellas in the dining space, and the events pavilion behind them. We chose all site furnishings, materials, and finishes from the trash receptacles to the plants, to the stucco color on the Nash building.

A custom wood pavilion was constructed for outdoor events and team meetings, visually and physically separate from the awning covered walkway and dining area.

The existing dining area was full of unsafe grade changes with heaved concrete and wood ties and old, worn wooden picnic tables as the only furniture, the existing awning inadequate.

The site furnishings are all made of durable commercially friendly materials. Benches, trash receptacles, and tables are a combination of a recycled composite material and powder coated steel. The Green Screen planters are a fiberglass and steel combination. The pavers are commercial grade concrete and the railings are aluminum.

Prior to demolition, we marked out and located all utilities. We could not cut into this grade and raised the area to keep existing underground utilities and proposed drainage lines intact.

The raised pavilion area is a generous space that is easily closed off if needed for an event and there are two other walkways through which pedestrian traffic can functionally detour. Fastigiate formed deciduous trees help add to the vertical space and soften the awning and pavilion construction.

An ADA compliant ramp winds between the dining area and memorial garden, connecting the two elevations between the main hospital building, Nash building, and the parking garage. The awning follows this path to enable all who traverse this space a covered option in inclement weather. The valances vary in height to offer additional protection from driving ran. When the shade trees mature, they’ll be even taller than the awning and provide appreciated shade for outdoor diners.

State of the art LED lighting illuminates the walk under the awning at night, set on an energy efficient schedule using sensors, in addition to the park like post lamps and accent lighting on the plantings. The concrete and paver walks hide extensively engineered reinforced concrete footings below that support the awning.

Plantings include many multi-season interests with evergreen shrubs and grasses, textured and colored bark, reblooming shrubs, winter berries, and brilliant fall color. These plants complement and enhance the built environment’s color palette through the entire design with the brown and gray paver accents, existing brick, custom blue hospital color, and neutral toned furnishings.

There are many places in the plaza where a plaque or paver memorializes a loved one lost or compliments an admired person. The permeable pavers here allow almost instantaneous percolation of stormwater runoff. In fact, there is no standing water during a rainstorm nor after one and the space can immediately be utilized once the rain stops falling.

The existing walkways were not ADA compliant and a tripping hazard. The dining area had a stark, uncomfortable feeling in both function and form.

The new dining area has many accessible table options now, open and easy to navigate paths between the tables and benches, and umbrellas to shade diners.

The intimate memorial garden with seat walls and benches offers a quiet space to reflect that is buffered from the rest of the hospital with plantings. There is one walkway in and out so it is not in the path of through traffic.

A bird’s eye view from the top of the parking garage shows the interplay of all spaces together. There are many places to sit and take a break, eat a meal, recharge from the busy interior of the hospital, and have a park experience in a highly developed campus.

Another view from above, the dry “riverbed” of crushed stone allows for stormwater runoff to infiltrate naturally but also functionally allows service to utilities as needed, keeping the facility running smoothly.

Down at ground level in the pollinators space, a mix of native and ornamental plantings provide numerous habitat opportunities for our essential flying friends.

Rendered design plan of project.