St. Luke’s Hospital Bannock Corridor Design
Boise, ID
Project Summary
Building consensus takes time, particularly when working with a community and a private landowner. In Boise, ID, St. Luke’s Hospital re-envisioned a closed street on their campus as a community connection and therapeutic garden. Toole Design’s team worked closely with stakeholders, over the course of almost two years, listening to them and developing design principles to reflect their values. Today, what used to be an underused plaza within the hospital campus is now an important corridor for people walking and biking, and a therapeutic garden and gathering space for hospital staff and patients.
We worked with City staff, neighbors, and other stakeholders on behalf of St. Luke’s for nearly two years to broker a consensus agreement about the design and use of a vacated street through the heart of St. Luke’s urban hospital campus.
Our urban designers skillfully melded placemaking and therapeutic garden design for hospital patients and staff, with an active transportation corridor that links East End neighbors to downtown Boise.
We reimagined a sleepy and circuitous pathway between hospital buildings as an active transportation corridor linking a series of lush and thoughtfully detailed outdoor rooms that provide a quiet refuge for hospital patients, small gathering spaces for staff, and a space that brings together the hospital and neighborhood. Construction is underway now.
We have come a long way with this work. Our relationship with the community has been significantly improved. It is such a privilege to work with such a talented group of professionals.Chris RothSenior Vice President & COO, St. Luke's Health System