Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Status: Completed 2022

Emphasizing the sensory role of nature with textures, dynamic geometries, movement, seasonal change, and sounds on the ability to heal, this once inaccessible rooftop courtyard has been transformed into a refuge for staff and patients through a simple palette of modular planters, regional black locust timber, and native trees and perennials. Over structure and surrounded on all sides by additional floors of the hospital, it also serves as a viewing garden for staff, visitors and patients at the hospital. A series of porous timber screens create privacy for rooftop level rooms while concealing oversized rooftop utilities and framing views of individual planters containing seasonal groundcovers and native understory trees. A round recirculating stone fountain sits central among the raised planters, serving as a visual and auditory focal point while creating a calming atmosphere and respite for the hospital community.