Vienna Nord Healing Gardens
Location Vienna, Austria | Client Wiener Krankenhausanstalten Verbund | Architect Atelier Albert Wimmer | Associate Landscape Architect 3:0 Landschaftsarchitektur | Photographs Rudolph Steiner, Hertha Hurnaus | Size 129,000 square meters | Awards Design and Health International Academy Award 2017 (International Healthcare Project, Salutogenic Design Project and Sustainable Urban and Built Environment category), BIG SEE Architecture Award 2020 (Landscape and Urban Space) | Status Completed 2018 | Tags Healthcare
MSP created interior and exterior landscapes for the Klinik Floridsdorf - the public Vienna North hospital - which help patients to heal mentally and physically.
The landscape masterplan covers three main areas: the park, a public urban plaza, and a vehicle drop off and emergency service area. The design was developed after extensive research into the needs of the hospital’s patients and staff.
The landscape flows from the ordered world of the hospital outward in a series of therapeutic gardens, lawns, meadows, and water bodies.
In front of the hospital, the paving of the public plaza has a parallel linear pattern which connects the main entry sub-plaza, outdoor cafes, the area in front of the train station, and the hotel and conference center spill-out spaces. The pattern changes at the hospital’s main entrance, to help direct pedestrians.
Behind the building are orchards and horticultural therapy, sensory, contenplation, physical therapy, and play gardens; woodland is visible through the ranked files of trees beyond. While other hospitals have used horticultural therapy programs, this is the first hospital with a series of gardens offering a variety of healing opportunities embedded within the landscape. The physical therapy garden uniquely adapts a range of indoor therapy equipment into the outdoor space, including parallel bars, therapy poles, a variety of steps and an outdoor exercise area.
Water connects the different garden areas: serene sunken interior gardens connect with a series of wetland pools, which provide a habitat for numerous invertebrates, and form an essential part of the site’s storm water management system. Beside the wetlands, aromatic herb gardens and activity areas offer opportunities for relaxation or stimulation.
Between the gardens, wide strips of wildflower meadows alternate with neatly trimmed lawns. Four glasshouse in the middle of these strips are citrus-filled winter gardens. Like the water, these winter gardens link the hospital interior and garden exterior, mirroring the central planted atriums within the hospital building.
Looped paths of varying lengths wind through the gardens, growing less and less linear as they move further into the natural landscape. These are fully accessible, and allow patients to feel a sense of accomplishment by challenging themselves to walk further each time.
The whole landscape encourages patients to journey back to health.
