The surrounding preserve is designed as a sequential journey through a series of “natural gardens” that reflect the changing character of the native northern Long Island landscape, from a rich lowland swamp adjacent to the Mill Pond to the Beech Forest, labyrinth and wildflower meadow at the top of the hill. 

• Provides garden therapy and attention restoration to an estimated 129,600 annual visitors. 93% of those surveyed described Avalon’s effect on their mood in positive terms, with 51% of all responses identifying some form of stress reduction. 

• Provides an outdoor classroom for 135 school-age children and teens annually, using Avalon’s seven distinct plant communities to lead programs in local ecology and environmental stewardship. Annually, approximately 1,500 local residents attend educational events hosted at Avalon. 

• Supplements the physical health of visitors with 77% of interviewees reporting spending most of their time walking, hiking, running or jogging, and approximately 20% of visits involving running as the principle activity.

• • • Plant-to-Plant and Plant-to-Place designs demonstrate patterns that strive to inspire an organizational, healthy and dramatic visitor experience to provide a wide range of mental health benefits. Plant-to Plant and Plant-to-Place design can help boost mental health by the choice of planting in a certain location. For instance if you have a blooming blueberry bush surrounding a seating bench the chances of a person feeling better are much higher than the probability of them feeling worse because they are in a resting location surrounded by edible plantings.

    • Garden therapy is proven through this example to boost your dopamine levels.  In the case study above they demonstrated a way to create an active garden through education. When someone is learning they are going to feel better about themselves and in fact boost their dopamine levels. 

    • Sacred places such as the Labyrinth at Avalon can provide important refuge for therapy, education and creative expression.  

For more information:

https://tbrnewsmedia.com/tag/avalon-park-preserve/  

https://www.thelongislandlocal.com/avalon-park-and-preserve/ 

According to ZGF Architects "the new 334,000 sq. ft., nine-story Randall Children’s Hospital is a consolidated pediatric care facility that offers patients, families, and staff a healing environment based on evidence-based design principles. Roof gardens, creative playscapes, and courtyards provide spaces for retreat into nature, enhancing the experience for patients and their families. In addition to the integrative landscape spaces at the new children’s hospital, the project included enhancements to the larger Legacy Emanuel Medical Center campus, such as new campus entries, upgraded stormwater infrastructure, and improvements to vehicular and pedestrian circulation spaces, which better connect the hospital to the surrounding campus and community." 

• • • "Contributes to a reduction in nurse stress: Six months after moving into the new facility, when asked whether they felt stress from "watching a patient suffer," "feeling inadequately prepared to address the emotional needs of a patient," and "experiencing unpredictable staffing and scheduling," 42% of nurses agreed or strongly agreed. Six months before moving into the same facility, 56% of the same respondents agreed or strongly agreed." 

    • "The facility provides outdoor recreational space for patients, with an average of 40 patients and 25% of visitors using outdoor spaces each day. During observations, it was found that 23% of out-patients and 54% of in-patients utilized the outdoor play facilities located in the terrace or courtyard. Remarkably, 92% of this play activity led to social interaction."

    • "The facility also offers outdoor spaces for staff use. On average, 6% of staff members utilize the staff terrace area for recreational activities, and 3% of staff members use the terrace or courtyard areas for work-related activities each day during the summer months." 

• • • The unique changes such as the outdoor recreational spaces on the ground level and passive seating options are the rooftop of the building made to this facility were able to provide different views at throughout the building for patients. This allowed them to have a warmer view through the window that would hopefully boost their morale and mood. 

    • Experiences will improve by providing options to reconnect to nature through things such as roof gardens, courtyards and different playscapes. 

    • Playful exposure such as a play mound placement can help to enrich what could express a sterile hospital environment but instead adds a cheerful experience for children and families. 

For more information:

https://www.arch2o.com/randall-childrens-hospital-zgf-architects/  

https://www.enr.com/articles/10167-best-health-care-project-randall-childrens-hospital-consolidates-services