Partner: Trinity Health, Pontiac, Michigan

Date: 2019-2021

At The Farm at Trinity Health Oakland in Pontiac, Michigan, I worked with hospital staff to develop a three-phased master plan and overall design for a productive agricultural landscape directly adjacent to the hospital. The project creates opportunities for patients, families, and healthcare staff to participate in growing food and flowers as a way to improve food security and support health outcomes. The Farm at Trinity Health Oakland is designed as a restorative space where healthcare workers can step away from high-stress environments to walk, sit, relax, or volunteer with farm staff and recharge outdoors. Cut flowers from the garden fill patient rooms and nurse stations, extending moments of beauty and care throughout the hospital, while vegetables harvested by farm staff are distributed to the hospital community through a Farm Share program and other initiatives supporting food security.

Partner: St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Date: 2019-2021

At a sister hospital within the Trinity Health system, I assisted staff in developing a master plan and consulted on the design of the landscape surrounding their new Food Hub. The plan included a tree allée and entry sequence, thinking through parking and circulation, the addition of stormwater infrastructure, and a trail spur connecting the site to a regional trail network. I also advised on the interior layout of an accessible hoop house designed to host therapeutic horticulture sessions and community classes, supporting the hospital’s mission to integrate food, health, and wellness into patient and staff experiences.

Date: 2019-2021

For three growing seasons in Ann Arbor, my housemates and I created the Common Garden Flower Experiment, a pick-your-own neighborhood flower CSA and urban flower farm. We transformed an underutilized floodplain into a vibrant, creative greenspace that became so beloved many neighbors treated it as a public park. With a public-facing kiosk stocked with clippers, hand sanitizer, and a goodwill donation jar, the garden provided an accessible outdoor environment and much-needed social space during the pandemic. Proceeds from twelve committed neighbor-members funded an artist residency program, where we hosted a photographer and a six-week Writing in the Garden workshop, weaving together landscape, creativity, and community participation. The project’s impact endures: today, the City of Ann Arbor maintains the site as a public flower garden.