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SPOTLIGHT LANDSCAPE Coreopsis, Salvia and Bee Balm — all known for their dramatic, seasonal bloom and foliage — were selected. Cedars-Sinai optimizes open space At Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the campus has undergone a major landscape master planning process to capitalize on every square foot of available open space and reprioritize many of its existing open spaces in order to better serve patients. Because the campus is located in an urban environment, the hospital had to be creative in finding these spaces. One such area is an open space on the third floor above a parking structure. Not yet built, these spaces will become the heart of the campus and will provide myriad experiences for patients, visitors and employees. To begin the implementation of this ambitious plan, the hospital administration chose to connect with a small, manageable installation on campus — Levine Park. This 2,500-square-foot oasis greets visitors as they approach the north side of the campus near the Samuel Oschin Cancer Center parking area. The park honors major donors to the campus with stylized forms, seatwalls, elongated planters, textural plantings and a graceful stainless steel edge. These elements will connect this small portion to advance the overall master plan. Designers working on a project at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center creatively use Levine Park on its campus to create a healing environment. This rendering shows how Eskenazi Health is optimizing all of its available space to shape the landscape. Eskenazi Health maximizes healing landscape environments For the Eskenazi Health campus in Indianapolis, Ind., which includes a replacement hospital, the opportunity to make a dramatic difference is happening in one fell swoop. It is capitalizing by capturing all available areas — parking lots, access drives, pedestrian walkways and trails, etc. — for healing landscape environments. The first impression campus visitors will get is that of landscape as a healing presence. In this case, a strong ecological connection and environmental stewardship is putting the 20 Medical Construction & Design | November/December 2013 phrase "Heal the land, heal people" into action. The Eskenazi Health project takes a holistic approach to the ecology and outdoor spaces of its campus while employing an accessible but design-oriented vision. A collaboration between numerous design offices, it's also a great example of the crucial role inter-disciplinary teams play in these large-scale construction efforts. Just as a surgeon needs the necessary allied professions in the operating room, these spaces benefit from knowledgeable project stakeholders. A comprehensive team is critical. Healing landscape environments on larger medical campuses are good medicine when properly planned. They act not just as an area of respite away from the hustle and bustle of everyday activities, but can also change the outlook of a difficult diagnosis or provide a family a quiet place to celebrate and focus on life's small victories. Michelle Pinkston Ohle, PLA, LEED AP, is an associate with HOK. Learn more at www.hok.com. www.mcdmag.com