Boston Children’s Hospital Master Plan and Implementation

• Increase access to garden spaces for patients, families, and hospital staff (doctors, nurses, administration staff, etc.).
• Create a range of healing experiences, both active and passive, for patients, families, and hospital staff. 
• Create comfortable places to be in a variety of seasons and weather conditions.
• Enhance urban biodiversity through the introduction of varied habitat for pollinator and bird species in proximity to the Emerald Necklace.
• Integrate historic site elements from the Prouty Garden in the new gardens.

Throughout the Master Plan Area:

• Over 18,500 sf of planting, consisting of 12 species of trees; 54 species of perennials, grasses and groundcovers; and 9 species of shrubs provide a varied sensory experience indoors and out. In the outdoor gardens, over 80% of flowering plant species benefit pollinators across seasons.
• Over 17,000 sf of walkways provide spaces for patients and caretakers to move through the gardens, encouraging relaxation and exploration.
• 630 linear ft of benches provide varied seating opportunities ranging from intimate to social.
• Sculptures are tucked throughout the gardens to encourage exploration and moments of intrigue.

Longwood Avenue Entrance and Streetscape

• A granite entry wall along Longwood Avenue incorporates graphic artwork that creates an identity featuring flora and fauna of the region. The graphic style used in the entry wall appears throughout the interior of the building.
• Colorful hexagonal pavers create a unified and welcoming vehicular and pedestrian entrance.
• Heating devices under the entry overhang offer comfort at the building threshold during cold weather.

Hale Family Building, 12th Floor (Rooftop) – Main 11 Healing Garden 

• Arched pathways facilitate gentle circulation through the garden.
• Grass landforms allow for free, unstructured play.
• Seating elements are positioned for social gathering and meals.
• Shade sails and canopies create shade for seating areas during summer months.
• Privacy nooks are created through the incorporation of wooden screens and planting.

Hale Family Building, 1st Floor – Anne and Olivia Prouty Wishingstone Garden

• A series of sculptural, sinuous benches create a gestural, playful identity for this garden.
• Over 9,000 sf of curvilinear pathways paired with the benches run through the garden.
• Over 2,300 sf of lawn landforms create places for unstructured play and seating.

Hale Family Building, 8th Floor (Interior) – The Friendship Garden in Honor of Stephen R. Karp (Interior) 

• Raised planters form the perimeter of the garden and frame this interior “winter garden” with the canopy of 8 trees from 2 species.
• A sculptural wood canopy structure provides nooks, including the Digital Federal Credit Union Nook, along with more open seating areas to offer both private and playful spaces.
• The terrazzo floor augments the naturalistic design language of this indoor garden.  

Hale Family Building, 10th Floor (Interior) – Thea and James M. Stoneman Garden 

• This indoor garden incorporates a bench constructed of salvaged wood from the former Prouty Garden that wraps around raised tree planters.
• It also includes a treehouse, canopy structure, and reading room.
• Curvilinear paving creates a biomorphic pattern.

Hale Family Building, 12th Floor – 12th Floor Roof Garden 

• This L-shaped roof garden is defined by long, lush planting areas. 
• A wood canopy structure defines the space at one end.
• A dedicated indoor arts center looks onto the garden, activating the space.

The Boston Children’s Hospital landscape has transitioned from the historic Prouty Garden to a new network of rooftop gardens, incorporating both sculptures from the Prouty Garden and new origami-style animal sculptures by the landscape architect. These sculptures, rooted in the legacy of the Prouty Garden, enhance the healing environment of the hospital.

To share findings on the incorporation of stories of place, the research team compiled a coloring book. This book features the animal sculptures from the gardens but also integrates poetic clues, inspired by on-site observations and interviews, that hint at their locations.

Educational Engagement: The coloring book offers children the opportunity to engage with the stories of the sculptures and the concept of healing gardens.

Emotional Healing: The book offers a way to engage with and interpret the gardens to foster relaxation and joy, supporting children’s recovery.

Cultural Enrichment: The book connects children to cultural stories behind the sculptures, enhancing their appreciation for art and nature.

The coloring book is available in the Methods Document. 

• The shade structures are underperforming during summer months. The design team faced challenges related to safety requirements, so certain shading elements became architectural space-defining features rather than true shade canopies.
• The extent of the garden network and locations of gardens within the hospital is not clear to all hospital users. While wayfinding to the gardens exists and programming in the gardens is strong, the complexity and scale of the building can render navigation difficult. Wayfinding and programming to guide hospital users to the gardens should be considered early in the design phase and in ongoing programming efforts.
• In terms of planting maintenance, the plantings have evolved over time. Human uses have been prioritized, and less consideration has been given to the consistency of the original plant palette and ecological benefit for pollinators and birds.
• Integral color concrete unit pavers were used in the street-level entry drop-off and on the Main 11 Garden, and the color has faded over time. In the exterior gardens that were constructed later (The Hale Family Building Wishingstone Garden and 12th Floor Roof Garden) granite pavers and smaller paver sizes were used to avoid fading and create joint details with a higher level of control. 
• Sound is a significant element in institutional gardens. In all outside roof gardens, noise from mechanical equipment is significant. Vertical structures such as wind barriers and architectural walls help to block the noise but are not entirely sufficient. The landscape design team should be involved in coordinating the layout of roof utilities including HVAC equipment early in the design process.   

Hale Building Gardens
Seating: Landscape Forms - Neoliviano Bench
Seating: Landscape Forms - Chipman Chair
Table: Landscape Forms - Chipman Table
Seating: Maglin Site Furniture - Battery Chair
Seating: Landscape Forms Trapecio Bench
Seating: Custom Benches – FSC 100% IPE Hardwood – Wishingstone & Level 12 –Millwork One
Seating: Custom Bench – Reclaimed Redwood Slabs From Prouty Garden – Level 10 –Millwork One
Basketball Hoop: Bison Inc.
Shade Canopy: IPE Hardwood & Steel Members – NH Steel & Millwork One
Granite Animal Sculptures: Coldspring
Custom Granite Benches: Coldspring
Custom ‘Orb’ Fixture (Stacked Plywood): CW Keller
Custom Areaway Fixtures (Resin & Steel): Millwork One & NH Steel
Flindt Light Bollards: Louis Poulsen
Granite Pavers & Adjustable Paver System: Coldspring
Natural Stone (Level 12): Coldspring
High Density Geofoam
Custom Epoxy Terrazzo Flooring

Main 11 Garden
Concrete Pavers: Wausau/Tectura
Monolithic Precast Curbing: Wausau/Tectura
Metal Planters: Superior Rail & Iron Works, Inc.
Custom Glass Windscreen
Custom Wood & Metal Shade Canopy
Tension Fabric Shade Sail Structures: USAShade
Binocular: SeeCoast Manufacturing Co - Mark II ADA Binocular
Furnishings: Landscape Forms - Parc Centre Tables & Carousel Chairs
Custom Wood Ipe Benches & Privacy Wall: Valient Industries, Inc.
Seating: Forms+Surfaces - Circuit Bench
Ipe Wood Deck
Pressure Treated Wood Supports: MicroPro/EverGuard (EPP Status & NGBSGreen Certified, Greenguard Gold Certification)
Lighting: Louis Paulsen - Flindt Bollards
Lighting: B-K Lighting - Delta Star & Nite Star

Longwood Entrance
Hexagon Concrete Unit Pavers: Hanover Pavers
Granite Curbing & Detectable Tile: Coldspring
Granite Wall Veneer w/ Custom Biophilic Etching: Coldspring
SS Light Column Bollard: Forms + Surfaces
SS Unlit Bollard Sleeves: Secure USA
Artificial Turf (Dog Walk): Forever Lawn - K9Grass
Seating: Landscape Forms - Rest Wood Bench (Backless & Backed)
Universal Litter Receptacles: Forms + Surfaces
Soil: Tremco - VR HydraMix Lightweight Planting Soil

Project Team

Hale Building Gardens
Client: Boston Children’s Hospital
Landscape Architect: Mikyoung Kim Design
Architect(s): Shepley Bulfinch
Civil Engineer: Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. (VHB)
Structural Engineer: McNamara/Salvia Inc.
MEP Engineer: R.W. Sullivan
Lighting Designer: LAM Partners
Geotechnical Engineer: Haley & Aldrich
Contractor: Suffolk Construction
Landscape Contractor: Xquisite Landscaping Inc.

Main 11 Garden
Client: Boston Children’s Hospital 
Landscape Architect: Mikyoung Kim Design
Architect(s): Shepley Bulfinch
Structural Engineer: McNamara Salvia Inc.
Mechanical & Electrical Engineer: Bard, Rao + Athanas (BR+A)
Plumbing & Fire Protection Engineer: R.W. Sullivan
Contractor: Suffolk Construction
Landscape Contractor: BrightView
Other Key Contractors: Valiant Industries, Inc.

Longwood Entrance
Client: Boston Children’s Hospital
Landscape Architect: Mikyoung Kim Design
Architect(s): Elkus Manfredi Architects
Civil Engineer: Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. (VHB)
Lighting Designer: CBBLD Inc.
Signage Designer: Selbert Perkins Design Collaborative
Structural Engineer: McNamara Salvia Inc.
Electrical Engineer: Bard, Rao + Athanas (BR+A)
Plumbing & Fire Protection Engineer: R.W. Sullivan
Waterproofing / Roofing Engineer: Gale Associates, Inc.
Contractor: Turner Construction
Landscape Contractor: ValleyCrest (now BrightView)
Other Key Contractors: Architectural Paving & Stone (APS)

Role of the Landscape Architect

The landscape architecture team led planning, design, documentation, and implementation efforts for the Boston Children’s Hospital Green Masterplan landscape spaces. The team facilitated engagement with the client, design teams, patients, and caregivers and supported the project through the permitting process with the City of Boston. The landscape architects developed construction documents for the various gardens and supervised implementation through construction observation, coordinating with the client, various design teams, contractors, and craftspeople.