August’s Project of the Month
Our current project of the month is a work in progress at the North Shore Zucker Hillside Hospital Park project. As a work in progress, this open space was the original location for cottages used by staff and patient’s of the hospital. With the removal of the cottages in recent years because of safety issues, the area became a non functional space with no purpose until now. The buildings were removed and the area became an undefined space with people just wandering through haphazardly.
When we were asked by the hospital to look at the space, the options for its use started to evolve. We developed the idea of a plaza or hub to connect the activities that occur daily within each building due to the location of the area between several main buildings.
The Goldberg and Rodler team designed a master plan for the space to include an outdoor dining area, a plaza including a sculpture, walking paths with lighting, sitting areas, refuse disposal, landscape planting and a great lawn which can also accommodate tents and large events.
In the first phase of the project, we installed concrete walking paths providing connections to the surrounding buildings and decorative lighting along these pathways. This gives a sense of security for those walking from building to building while working night hours.
In the upcoming weeks, we will add refuse collectors, benches, picnic tables and a new seeded lawn to finish phase one.
Written by Rich Lambert