Although the Brigham & Women’s Hospital Bed Tower is easily navigable and provides each patient with a view outside, its brutalist design did not provide any exterior spaces.  The proposed design adapts the formal language of the cloister garden to the organic geometry of the Bed Tower, providing a therapeutic landscape for patients on top of the lobby roof.  Located directly off an adjacent elevator shaft which links 18 floors, the garden is easily accessible and able to be enjoyed year round from a new pavilion.

As landscape designer, Michael developed the garden concept and advanced the schematic design through digital modeling, shade analysis, rendered perspectives. The garden is enclosed by multi-stem flowering trees to bring the space down to a human scale, providing some privacy while still allowing for filtered views in.  Patients are able to enjoy the garden by walking along a circuit and patterned paving provides visual interest on the ground plane.  For those just looking for fresh air, several private and social seating options can be found to enjoy a seasonally changing plant palette.