Portfolio | Commercial & Institutional | Hanover Hospital’s Garden
Hanover Hospital’s Garden
The Hanover Hospital’s Garden of Fond Memories was created to honour the memory of a local resident’s wife – a registered nurse who had worked with the hospital for 38 years. It was also built to thank and honour all the nurses, doctors, lab and x-ray technicians, EMTs, and support staff that have and will continue to dedicate their skills and passion to make the hospital a place of healing.
All elements within the garden are available for purchase as dedication pieces, from individual pieces of interlocking stone to the wooden bridge, furnishings and specimen trees, etc. For example, The River of Life within the garden is a dry stream bed where the name of a loved one can be etched in stone and placed in the stream as a remembrance. With the sale of elements within the garden there is the potential for this garden to raise $1,300,000.00 for hospital needs such as equipment, etc.
Working within a confined space in front of a hospital provided its own unique challenges from noise abatement strategies, to dust prevention so as not to interfere with the hospital air filtration system almost directly above the work area.
Construction costs for the garden were donated by a private resident within the community, as well as the landscape contractor who built the garden donating a sizable amount of construction costs and perpetual maintenance of the garden as long as the firm operates.
The design and project and construction administration were also donated by Brydges Landscape Architecture, Inc.
Everyone is welcome to use the Garden of Fond Memories and if they wish, to honour a loved one or one or a member of the medical team that has made their stay a little more comfortable during their visit to the hospital. Hospital staff also have the opportunity to take their breaks within the garden and see how their community truly appreciates the often thankless work that they do every day.
In February 2011 the garden won a Landscape Ontario Award of Excellence for best commercial construction project between $100,000 and $250,000.
In October 2011 the garden was awarded a Green for Life Ontario Award, from Landscape Ontario for demonstrating a dedication to innovative ideas, community spirit and environmental sustainability involving green initiatives and community beautification.
The design was built and is maintained by Ground Effects Landscapes
