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at the back of the property and replanted
when the building was finished. Some
align an area graded for water reten-tion.
Underground water retention was
also designed so that it flows back to the
plants.
“We carefully considered how materials
came together and handled water,” Coffey
says.
The forest motif is continued at the
main entrance, where patients enter
under a virtual canopy supported by tree-like
columns. The covering is constructed
with a polycarbonate material that creates
a dappled light effect, similar to a warm
sun beaming through the canopy of a
dense forest.
“One of our goals to design a medical
facility was to relieve a certain amount of
stress. Through architecture, we can cre-ate
a soothing element of surprise — that
is important to achieve,” Kersting says.
