FACILITY: St. Louis Children's Hospital
LOCATION: St. Louis
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: EDAW Inc. Fort Collins, Colo.
The 8,000-square-foot Olson Family Garden at St. Louis Children's Hospital is an interactive rooftop oasis featuring a vegetated green roof designed for children and families who want a place for privacy and solace.
The garden is home to more than 7,000 plants and flowers. It includes a variety of places to sit and rest, including a swing, benches and small coves. Other features include waterfalls, winding paths and stepping-stones that take garden visitors from fountains to flower beds to ponds filled with goldfish and views of nearby Forest Park.
The depth of the growing medium ranges from 6 inches to 2.5 feet, with a soil mix of 80 percent sand and 20 percent peat moss. The plant list includes a large mix of flowering perennials encompassing Dahlia, Dianthus, Eremurus, Eupatorium purpureum, Euphorbia, Gaura lindheimeri, Geranium, Heliopsis helianthoides, Heuchera sanguinea, Linum and others. Trees adorning the garden include redbuds, birches, paperbark cherries and maples.
The green roof features a thermoplastic waterproofing system designed by Sika Sarnafil, Canton, Mass., to protect structures from the effects of water infiltration leading to structural deterioration and interior water damage.
To submit a Last Detail case for consideration, please contact senior editor Jeff Ferenc at jferenc@healthforum.com.
