In an endeavor that began as a deferred maintenance project, B+MD reinvented the VUMC Plaza as a campus-wide healing garden, accessible to the entire patient population and medical center community. Constructed in 1980 as part of the hospital, the original waterproofing was due for replacement, necessitating removal of existing brick, plantings, and overburden, which had been largely untouched for three decades.

The primary technical challenge was to develop an overburden system that was easily removable to access the waterproofing membrane. A leak-detection system was embedded to locate failures, and the overburden system utilized planting trays, sand-set pavers, potted trees, and removable elements to facilitate access to the waterproofing.  This maintenance requirement presented an opportunity to rethink the plaza as more than a thoroughfare between buildings, and enhance the patient, visitor, and staff experience. The renovated plaza occupies an existing roof above two floors of the clinical enterprise.

The plaza—a communal gathering space—supports independent pursuits, collegial meetings, and family gatherings. Diverse seating arrangements and clusters, beautiful landscaping, and identifiable shading canopies at each building’s entrance establish both conviviality and clear wayfinding. The organization of the plaza was driven by an improved wayfinding strategy that emphasized enhanced building entrances and clearly-defined pathways. New exterior signage standards were developed with placards located adjacent to exterior luminaires, and illuminated canopies were added to designate building entries.