Kaiser Permanente West Lawn

In early 2014 an expansive lawn on the west corner of Kaiser Permanente’s main hospital campus in Santa Rosa began to look outdated and worn against a newly re-clad building. Carlile Macy was asked to rethink this highly-visible open space that many people walk across daily while traveling from building to building. With a statewide drought in effect, the hospital was also looking for opportunities to reduce water usage. Working with Kaiser’s project managers and landscape maintenance staff, our designers removed the declining lawn and replaced it with swaths of flowering shrubs, grasses, and colorful perennials watered by high-efficient drip irrigation to reduce water usage by 70%. An arching pathway made of permeable decomposed granite allows hospital staff and patients to access different buildings without walking through the parking lot while new native oak trees and existing, mature crape myrtles shade benches where visitors can stop to appreciate the view. The project also expanded raised beds and fruit trees which are part of the campus iGrow program.