O’Fallon, MO
The landscape architects designed the master plan and construction drawings of the Progress West Medical Center around environmental stewardship and functionality. Certified as LEED Gold. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification program that sets industry-wide standards for design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings to produce reduced energy consumption and environmental impact.
The master plan boasts several bioswales, greenscreens and reestablished prairie. The implementation of over a dozen green technologies and sustainable practices including, LED lights, permeable surfaces, bioswales, native plantings, and a constructed wetland. It was more than just an aesthetic choice for the hospital. It was a choice that balances beauty with sustainability and its impact on the environment.
Over the next few years, the native grasses will grow thicker and begin to choke out the weeds that thrived in the warm wet summer. The root systems on these grasses run deeper than traditional lawn grasses and will require little or no irrigation once they are established. This low maintenance feature provides further benefits to the environment by eliminating the need for fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.
After the master plan and landscape plan were created, Kristy joined the landscape architecture team to render images and models, finalize construction details and perform construction administration for the Medical Office Building (MOB) and Data Center. Just like the landscapes we design, healthcare facilities need to be safe, functional and beautiful. Often the public doesn’t realize the behind the scenes needs of a hospital. In addition to the MOB, a 40,000-sq-ft Tier III data center was located on the 48-acre campus. It hosts patient and billing records for the entire healthcare organization, consisting of 13 hospitals and more than 100 healthcare sites in Missouri and Illinois.
*Project completed while working at a previous firm.
