Hillsboro, Oregon

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On the Boards

Macdonald Environmental Planning, PC was approached by Partin & Hill Architects to provide Landscape Architectural services for this hospice project in Hillsboro, Oregon. Our design intent was to embrace the natural woodland adjacent to the project area by incorporating native plant species into the site landscaping to imitate a natural environment.
Creating spaces for respite and reflection was a high priority for this project. Patients, family members, and staff will all have an opportunity to take a stroll through the meandering pathway or sit and listen to the trickle of water coming from one of the water features adjacent to one of the outdoor patios.
Other site features include stormwater swales that will help to reduce runoff; a rainwater celebration feature, which will be viewable from the main entrance; a donor wall; and an outdoor labyrinth.

Milwaukie, Oregon

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Shortly after completion of the Providence Milwaukie Healing Place, a new ER/MRI addition was underway and we created a beautiful drop off and entrance landscape for the building. The plantings again reflected the overal campus with a variety of flowering trees, ornamental grasses and accent plantings in pots at the front door.

Portland, Oregon

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The Yakima Farm Workers Agency added a Clinic in east Portland Oregon.  The landscape approach was developed to help screen the busy street and place emphasis on the entrance.

Woodburn, Oregon

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The Yakima Farm Workers have been expanding their clinic footprint throughout the Pacific Northwest and we were asked to update the campus of this new addition to the Woodburn Oregon Clinic.  The overal scope included an interior courtyard and water feature and the rehabilitation of the existing grounds.

Auburn, Oregon

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This seacoast community hospital undertook the addition of a Medical Office Building with landscaping that would be salt tolerant and colorful.  Our plantings included numerous perennials, ornamental grasses and seacoast plantings.  The sandy soils were also taken into consideration for irrigation purposes.

The Providence – Portland Medical Group Office Building located on Interstate Avenue in Portland Oregon had limited landscaping to it.  We provided an interesting mix of ornamental grasses and screening plants for this tight site.  The project was recognized for it’s architectural design by the AIA.

Madras, Oregon

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Mountain View Hospital undertook a new addition and remodel of the existing building and acute care unit in Madras, Oregon.  Our approach was to update the appearance of the grounds to reflect the Central Oregon landscape in a sustainable way.  Our careful selection of native, cold and drought tolerant plants, local broken top stone  and river rock helped to mimic the surrounding landscape.  Rooftop runoff was dropped into a naturalized creek bed which flowed into dry wells.

Brookings, Oregon

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Our goal for this medical center project was to retain as much of the existing, native vegetation on site as possible and to incorporate a majority of native plants into the new landscaping. Site features included a “stormwater feature”, which will replicate a natural stream bed with multiple water falls; a healing garden located adjacent to the main lobby, which will serve as a viewing garden and outdoor gathering space; and an outdoor patio space for staff. The project is currently pursuing LEED Silver.

The healthcare systems have begun to recognize the benefits that nature can bring when incorporated into a Healing Garden within their Medical Centers.  This realization has been supported by statistics showing that there are direct and beneficial health outcomes attributed to access and views to nature.  The evidence as it relates to gardens has proven to the healthcare community that patients heal faster, need fewer medications, lowers stress levels for staff and administrators, and develop more favorable image of the medical center¹ in Communities nearby.  These all translate in more income to the healthcare providers.  These health and capital outcomes have  raised the priority for all healthcare systems to include healing gardens, therapeutic gardens, outdoor gathering areas and a wide variety of opportunities to access nature on new expansion projects. 

I tend to address these and Healing Environments because there are so many different types of garden areas found on the medical center campus’ all of which contribute to a healing outcome.  The Healing Garden though, is one that should be central to the campus with access to multiple facility buildings.  At Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center, the healing garden is central to the Heart Center, Ambulatory Services Center, the new West Tower and main hospital.  It offers opportunities for many participants to take a break, find respite, watch the waterfalls and garden landscape, or get physical therapy.  The healing garden will provide patients, visitors and staff access to Nature and its power to heal.

1. Health Facilities Management, “Great Outdoors-Developing a master plan for exterior spaces” by Julie Manning and Laurel Macdonald, February 2007, page 26

The Healing Environment Master Plan was developed to guide the Samaritan Health Services facilities in the provision of healing environments on a system-wide basis and delivered site specific needs.  Understanding what constitutes a “healing garden” is the foundation of this plan.

A philosophy was developed to identify these “Each of the Samaritan Health Systems facilities incorporates healing principles into the environment, ensuring the presence of tranquility, beauty, comfort, and safety for the benefit of patients, families, visitors and staff.  Now we were able to identify the different types of healing environments like; Borrowed Landscape, Covered Garden, Front Entry, Landscape Grounds, Meditation Gardens, Healing Gardens, Therapeutic Gardens and etc.

Each of five community hospitals and two senior communities were visited and evaluated with regard to the condition of the landscape, the access to nature and what kinds of healing environments existed and were lacking.

The Master Plan developed a system-wide action plan which identified healing gardens, healing environment and specific opportunities to be pursued that elevate the level of healing environment development throughout the system.  These were then costed out and prioritized so that funding sources could be identified.