Towers|Golde Landscape Architects & Site Planners

T|G’s extensive experience in master planning and project design for therapeutic and healing gardens has made the firm’s approach particularly successful in its responsiveness to issues of patient wellness, institutional identity, and operational efficiency.
Skillful analysis of landscape conditions, sensitivity to architectural mission, commitment to the principles of sustainable design, and unusual respect for client concerns are the foundation of the firm’s practice. Carefully interweaving environmental character and architectural aesthetic, T|G’s designs unite site and structure, creating memorable places of distinctive character which connect people to the landscape. T|G is dedicated to an inclusive, collaborative design process that serves art and stewardship as well as budget and function.
Recipients of over fifty state, national and international awards, the firm is especially honored by the American Society of Landscape Architect’s 1997 Award of Excellence, national recognition of the firm’s long history of achievement in landscape architectural design.

Projects

Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Garden of Hope
Lebanon, New Hampshire
Architect: Shepley Bulfinch
Located in a quiet courtyard sheltered by surrounding buildings, this sunny space was designed to provide respite for patients undergoing cancer treatment, and their families. A single brick path meanders through lush, native plantings offering opportunities to be distracted from the sterile setting of this busy medical center.

University of Kentucky: Albert B. Chandler Hospital
Entry Courtyard Garden
Lexington, KY
Architect: GBBN Architects
"Not your typical hospital..." Is how UK Healthcare describes their new Patient Pavilion and featured among their touted assets is the special courtyard off the atrium lobby that offers “a place for tranquility in a lush garden setting with intimate seating areas and benches built into the natural limestone wall." The courtyard is strategically visible from the entry and is part of the "Uniquely Kentucky" branding of the hospital ethos/aesthetic that guided much of the design considerations. The plants are all native, selected and planted to simulate nearby Appalachian forest settings. Wildflowers and spring flowering shrubs are featured, as are the natural rocks which were collected locally.
The courtyard is a therapeutic amenity that is actively used by both visitors and staff. It provides respite and relief from the inevitable pressures of any hospital environment while it makes a strong statement of the hospital's commitment to world class healthcare within reassuringly local surroundings.
Awards: AiA Kentucky, Honor Award

Greenwich Hospital
The Carl and Dorothy Bennett Community Garden
Greenwich, CT
Architect: Shepley Bulfinch
The Carl and Dorothy Bennett Community Garden is the culmination of a 10-year building effort by Greenwich Hospital. To make a place for the park and therapy garden, a former wing of the hospital was demolished and the site completely reshaped. The garden welcomes the general public, visitors from the surrounding neighborhood, and patients. It is an outdoor escape, a place for relaxation, contemplation and private conversation.
Features include a verdant landscape, a basin and fountain, a memorial sculpture, plaza paving with donor names, and a generous terrace and pergola adjacent to the new hospital cafe. The garden has been structured to accommodate a number of thematic sub-garden areas as donor opportunities arise. All garden areas have been designed to be fully accessible to the handicapped.
Awards: CT ASLA Merit Award; Connecticut Building Congress Merit Award

Smilow Cancer Center at Yale-New Haven Hospita
Betty Ruth & Milton B. Hollander Healing Garden
New Haven, CT
Architect: Shepley Bulfinch
This innovative seventh floor rooftop healing garden provides an outdoor place for relaxation, contemplation or intimate conversation. Patients can meet with family members or health care professionals at one of the seating areas, or visit the garden alone. The resultant garden design was governed more by the needs and desires of cancer patients who favored images of nature, reminiscent of patients' own backyards. The patient-centered design was carefully vetted through meetings with hospital staff, patients and their families.
One can traverse the circulation loop on foot or via wheelchair, experiencing different views of the garden or the city beyond. An unexpected naturalistic, re-circulating stream meanders through the garden, terminating in a reflecting pool. (Images displayed above)
Awards: Gold Winner - Center for Health Design Landscape Architecture Award; CT ASLA Award of Merit, Connecticut Building Congress-
Project Team Award First Place; US Green Building Council - CT Chapter Award of Merit

Bridgeport Hospital
Norma F. Pfriem Healing Garden
Bridgeport, CT
Architect: Shepley Bulfinch
Associated LA: Devore Associates
This highly visible garden is designed as a soothing oasis in the heart of the new medical center. It is a focal and focusing space that anticipates the special needs of cancer patients, staff and visitors while providing physical and psychological comfort as well as sensory engagement. It harnesses both the dynamic healing power of natural elements and the familiar elements of the southern New England landscape.
The centerpiece of the design is a sparkling waterfall set against a traditional stone wall. Other garden components include curving paths, intimate gathering spaces for individuals or small groups positioned in sun and shade, café dining, and naturalistic and seasonally varied plantings which feature a wildflower 'meadow' as well as numerous deciduous and evergreen trees. A screened terrace with a shade pergola adjacent to the infusion suites creates a private prospect for patients to receive their treatments in the garden. The splashing water of the fountain and a perimeter screen minimize the distractions of the world outside.