NatureMaker

Founded in 1911, Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital is one of Georgia’s largest comprehensive regional medical centers. Located in Albany, GA, Phoebe’s goal has been to bring the finest medical talent and technology to the citizens of Southwest GA.

As part of Phoebe’s continuing expansion, NatureMaker was commissioned to create a native oak tree, 17′ tall  X  16′ canopy diameter, the centerpiece of its newest state-of-the-art outpatient center. The live oak tree perfectly encapsulates the majestic trees that surround the facility.

When landscape architects, Grissim Metz Andriese Associates, Inc., were selected by William Beaumont Hospital in a design competition to create healing gardens in the interior atrium of the new South Tower addition in Royal Oak, Michigan, the result is a multi-sensory environment for patients, families, and staff that captures the essence of a verdant maple grove at its peak.

Designing an enclosed garden or park with the feel of the outdoors in the middle of one of America’s largest hospitals poses a number of challenges. The large scale of the atrium – 200 by 80 feet overall with a 75 foot high skylight ceiling – requires landscape elements to correspond in scale with the massive volume of the space. Structural load requirements make heavy soil loads for trees prohibitive. In addition, meeting imperatives for indoor air quality and maintainability in a health-care environment is critical. Logistically, living trees of similar scale would have to be craned into the 6^th floor atrium space through the roof, which probably would have involved removing the vaulted glass skylight entirely.

Part of the solution included commissioning NatureMaker to install seven 25’ tall x 17’ wide Steel Art Maple Trees. Canopies were conceived to represent typical growth patterns from mid-summer through late fall, with corresponding placement of green, “turning”, and brilliant, autumnal-colored leaves.

Many important architectural and design considerations were addressed, including:

• The grove of maple trees reduces the ceiling height in an expansive multi-story atrium to human scale and provides filtered shade from the skylight.

• NatureMaker trees require minimal maintenance (removal of surface dust from the foliage only), produce no bugs, bacteria, germs, or molds.

• The weight bearing load of each NatureMaker tree is far lower than a native tree of the same size. No special soils and grow lights are required. No structural reinforcement is required for the floor, especially given the trees’ placement on Level 6 of the Tower.

• NatureMaker trees are composed of recycled and renewable materials containing no VOCs. Structural, building, and fire codes are addressed at the beginning of the project with NatureMaker’s submittals of engineering, MSDS, and ASTM E 84 Class One Fire and Smoke Certification.

The maple grove creates a comforting oasis within a busy hospital setting and offers a peaceful, meditative retreat for those dealing with illness and tragedy.