LOCATION: Bay Shore, N.Y.
COMPANY: Goldberg & Rodler
The client — South Shore University Hospital — requested this space be an outdoor dining area where visitors and employees could get a break from the fast-paced world inside the facility.
Ashley Haugsjaa, design office manager and landscape designer for Goldberg & Rodler, says the existing space needed plenty of work. Crumbling stairs and inadequate railings surrounded the century-old building and the space didn’t comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.
“It looked like a bit of an afterthought, rather than an outdoor dining space. It also served as a main thoroughfare and entry to the main hospital building,” says Haugsjaa.
Crews needed to install railings on ramps and make additional changes, she says.
“Sometimes, when people hear ‘ADA compliance,’ they just think, ‘We need a ramp,’” Haugsjaa says. “Yes, it does involve ramps and slopes and all sorts of math you need to do. But you need to have specifics down with steps and visual cues for changing pavement and types of traffic.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the client added a memorial area to the plans. Goldberg & Rodler installed engraved plaques and pavers for the memorials throughout the project.
Manufacturer Techo-Bloc played a major role in supplying materials for the project when materials weren’t easy to come by, Haugsjaa says.
“(Techo-Bloc) enabled us to find stock when everyone else had supply chain issues,” she says. “They donated some of the materials, specifically the permeable pavers. That was very beneficial, especially on a developed campus, to manage runoff.”
The project earned Goldberg & Rodler a Silver Award from the 2022 National Association of Landscape Professionals Awards of Excellence program.
The construction of a new parking garage changed this space from mainly a dining area to a high-traffic area with an entrance to the hospital.
Midway through the project, the client requested a custom-built wood pavilion to serve as a space for outdoor events.
The existing dining area featured several unsafe grade changes and zero coverage for the wooden picnic tables.
As part of the design, Goldberg & Rodler included commercial-friendly furnishings, such as recycled composite material and powder-coated steel.
An ADA-compliant ramp winds between the memorial garden and the dining area. Maintaining ADA compliance was crucial; the previous area was non-compliant.
Plantings include evergreen shrubs and grasses to complement the building’s existing color palette.
The redesigned property incorporates plaques and pavers engraved to honor a lost loved one or an admired person.
Creating intimate areas where people could sit and reflect, or simply get away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital, were a major focus for Goldberg & Rodler.
A bird’s-eye view shows improvements to the existing walkway, including an extended cover.
A pollinator garden was a special request from a hospital employee passionate about native plants.
A view from above: Crushed stone allows for stormwater runoff to infiltrate naturally and service to utilities as needed.
