MedStar Health is the largest healthcare provider in the DMV region. Through their extensive network of healthcare facilities, their mission is to serve their patients, those who care for them, and their communities. MedStar’s Franklin Square Medical Center is already home to one Sacred Place, the Garden of Little Angels, which honors and memorializes children who have been lost.
This second space, located between the ER visitors’ entrance and connected to the dedicated staff entrance, would serve a different purpose, and would be specifically designed to provide associates at Franklin Square a Sacred Place for their wellbeing. The site as it exists is green but without design features and intentionality. Once designed, the space would offer opportunities for associates to spend time outside as part of their regular routine by allotting space for outdoor meetings, eating, wellness programming, and more — a safe space where associates, particularly those working in the ER, can take a moment away from their intense routine. It would be the only designated garden space on that side of the campus, a critical need for the hospital’s staff.
The site design centers the staff’s desire for a flexible, multifunctional space where they could spend time together and individually: the portion of the site immediately adjacent to the entrance is a more active zone, with group seating and tables. As you venture further into the site, the space becomes quieter and more reflective, with the Nature Sacred Bench, nestled amidst lush plantings, anchoring that end of the site. Key features include a circular vine trellis that serves as the connector and threshold between these two zones, a curved walkway, a raised planter that is a focal element, and a stepping stone pathway that is an alternate entry to the reflective zone. Rocking chairs are interspersed throughout the space, a soothing experience. Scattered throughout the site are small painted pebbles, mementos painted by associates during the ribbon-cutting ceremony as a form of blessing the space with joy and healing. The entire space is fenced in with card access required to enter – a crucial element to ensuring both the safety of staff within the space and their ability to experience peace of mind while they are there.
Design Team:
Jon Gemmell, Nature Sacred Design Advisor, Floura Teeter Landscape Architects
Kaila Blevins, Landscape Designer, Floura Teeter Landscape Architects
Raena Nola, Landscape Designer, Floura Teeter Landscape Architects
Contractor:
Jeff Sachs, Krohs Nursery
