Reedsburg Area Medical Center Healing Garden

Client:

Reedsburg Area Medical Center

Location:

Reedsburg, Wisconsin

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Project Description

This project was initiated as an outgrowth of the planning and design efforts for the expansion of the hospital’s surgery and cancer centers and their medical office addition. The project consists of the development of landscaping treatments for the perimeter of the new buildings, adjacent parking areas, and a healing garden.

The garden consists of two primary spaces. The first, a wheelchair accessible short term waiting patio area on the north side of the medical office addition, is intended to provide a shaded respite for patients waiting for or in-between appointments at one of the specialist practices leasing in the office portion. The second, a larger, more formal garden is intended to create a “contemplative atmosphere” for patients from the adjacent cancer center (garden can be viewed directly from patient rooms) and others awaiting surgery.

Components of the healing garden include secluded seating areas of various sizes with shade trees, specialty plantings, screening berms, and other landscape treatments. These area connected by contrasting colored concrete walking paths and an architectural bridge over a functional stormwater infiltration basin designed as a stone-lined oriental dry pond. Initially designed with simple features it is intended to be flexible, anticipating expansion into a more comprehensive healing garden with fountains, textural/sensory plantings, a “labyrinth” and other features.

Project Description

This project was initiated as an outgrowth of the planning and design efforts for the expansion of the hospital’s surgery and cancer centers and their medical office addition. The project consists of the development of landscaping treatments for the perimeter of the new buildings, adjacent parking areas, and a healing garden.

The garden consists of two primary spaces. The first, a wheelchair accessible short term waiting patio area on the north side of the medical office addition, is intended to provide a shaded respite for patients waiting for or in-between appointments at one of the specialist practices leasing in the office portion. The second, a larger, more formal garden is intended to create a “contemplative atmosphere” for patients from the adjacent cancer center (garden can be viewed directly from patient rooms) and others awaiting surgery.

Components of the healing garden include secluded seating areas of various sizes with shade trees, specialty plantings, screening berms, and other landscape treatments. These area connected by contrasting colored concrete walking paths and an architectural bridge over a functional stormwater infiltration basin designed as a stone-lined oriental dry pond. Initially designed with simple features it is intended to be flexible, anticipating expansion into a more comprehensive healing garden with fountains, textural/sensory plantings, a “labyrinth” and other features.