Will’s Garden, the rooftop garden at Carle Foundation Hospital’s sixth floor, is the recipient of the 2023 Green Roof Award of Excellence in Extensive Commercial Projects. The green roof industry’s leading institute, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, recognize the year’s best projects and leading innovators in this space with this award.
The garden takes its name from Will Tate, a Carle patient who battled acute myeloid leukemia until the disease took his life in 2006. Since 2022, patients, visitors and staff have enjoyed the 6,000-square-foot garden providing a retreat for anyone in need of respite. Benches and pockets of seclusion offer an opportunity to step out of the hospital setting and find moments of reprieve.
The creation of the garden required ultra-lightweight horticultural growing media and meticulous planning to meet the needs of the facilities’ structural load capabilities. The area includes a pergola, benches, more than 3,000 plantings including groundcover and trees. A paver pathway wide enough to enable wheelchair and hospital bed access offers anyone the chance to enjoy the space.
“Will’s Garden offers a break from the intensity of a hospital environment and is a reminder that healthcare is about more than medicine,” said Nicholas Crompton, vice president, Construction and Facilities Services. “It has been such a wonderful addition to the Carle Foundation Hospital campus for our patients, visitors and our team members. I am so grateful to the many individuals that helped make this garden a reality from our donors, designers, contractors and our Carle team. It is truly a one-of-a-kind space.”
Carle Health Center for Philanthropy contributed one million dollars to the project. Charitable contributions from employees, community members and corporate partners helped create this lush ecosystem.
“Will’s Garden continues to be one of the most innovative and compassionate projects ever completed at Carle Foundation Hospital, and it’s incredible to think about the role philanthropy played in making this project a reality,” said Beth Katsinas, vice president, Carle Health Center for Philanthropy. “Now, this rooftop garden is an award-winning oasis of healing for our patients, families and team members.”
The Carle Facilities team partnered with Omni Ecosystems. Omni Ecosystems work includes a rooftop garden for McDonald’s Flagship in Chicago’s River North and as a commercial-scale rooftop farm in Chicago’s Fulton Market.
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities - North America Inc. is a non-profit professional industry association. Their mission is to increase the awareness of green roofs, green walls, and other forms of living architecture.
Carle Health is proud of the team who helped make this unique experience possible and will continue to bring innovative opportunities to provide the best care experience possible for patients and their loved ones.
To see more of Will’s Garden, visit Carle.org
The garden takes its name from Will Tate, a Carle patient who battled acute myeloid leukemia until the disease took his life in 2006. Since 2022, patients, visitors and staff have enjoyed the 6,000-square-foot garden providing a retreat for anyone in need of respite. Benches and pockets of seclusion offer an opportunity to step out of the hospital setting and find moments of reprieve.
The creation of the garden required ultra-lightweight horticultural growing media and meticulous planning to meet the needs of the facilities’ structural load capabilities. The area includes a pergola, benches, more than 3,000 plantings including groundcover and trees. A paver pathway wide enough to enable wheelchair and hospital bed access offers anyone the chance to enjoy the space.
“Will’s Garden offers a break from the intensity of a hospital environment and is a reminder that healthcare is about more than medicine,” said Nicholas Crompton, vice president, Construction and Facilities Services. “It has been such a wonderful addition to the Carle Foundation Hospital campus for our patients, visitors and our team members. I am so grateful to the many individuals that helped make this garden a reality from our donors, designers, contractors and our Carle team. It is truly a one-of-a-kind space.”
Carle Health Center for Philanthropy contributed one million dollars to the project. Charitable contributions from employees, community members and corporate partners helped create this lush ecosystem.
“Will’s Garden continues to be one of the most innovative and compassionate projects ever completed at Carle Foundation Hospital, and it’s incredible to think about the role philanthropy played in making this project a reality,” said Beth Katsinas, vice president, Carle Health Center for Philanthropy. “Now, this rooftop garden is an award-winning oasis of healing for our patients, families and team members.”The Carle Facilities team partnered with Omni Ecosystems. Omni Ecosystems work includes a rooftop garden for McDonald’s Flagship in Chicago’s River North and as a commercial-scale rooftop farm in Chicago’s Fulton Market.
Green Roofs for Healthy Cities - North America Inc. is a non-profit professional industry association. Their mission is to increase the awareness of green roofs, green walls, and other forms of living architecture.
Carle Health is proud of the team who helped make this unique experience possible and will continue to bring innovative opportunities to provide the best care experience possible for patients and their loved ones.
To see more of Will’s Garden, visit Carle.org
Categories: Culture of Quality
Tags: Carle, Experience, Foundation, Garden, Hospital, Patient, Philanthropy, Rooftop, Visitor, Will’s