YORK UPMC MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
Reflection Garden
Splash Supply Company is proud to have designed and built the beautiful Reflection Garden that greets visitors at the new UPMC Memorial Hospital.
About this project
The Reflection Garden at UPMC Memorial Hospital is unlike anything in the region.
A huge boulder waterfall greets visitors and staff between the doors of the Main Entrance and Emergency Department. Behind the falls, people can find a moment of peace next to a 100-foot-long pond filled with graceful koi and thriving plants.
This Reflection Garden plays a crucial role at the hospital, which UPMC constructed in 2019. The pond naturally complements the state-of-the-art facility by providing a place where doctors, nurses, patients and visitors can find solace in stressful times.
Keep reading to learn more about how Splash brought this project to life.
The Design
Large-scale projects like the UPMC Memorial Reflection Garden start with a digital rendering to help bring the project to life.
Check out this video to see our original vision for the garden.
The Build
Our experienced team of water feature builders made our artistic vision a reality. Construction began in spring of 2019, with the garden opening to the public that August.
Welcome to the
REFLECTION GARDEN
The first thing you’ll see as you drive to the hospital’s main entrance is a huge boulder waterfall surrounded by a woodland garden. More than 40,000 gallons of water crashes over this waterfall every hour, creating an awe-inspiring display that looks amazing from any angle.
This raised woodland garden provides a perfect privacy screen to the meadows and streams of the hidden Reflection Garden. The plantings provide a naturalistic softening that enhances the modern architecture of the hospital building.
The waterfall design and plant materials were carefully chosen to replicate the native plantings and rolling topography for which York County is known.
The Reflection Garden is designed with lots of seating for quiet contemplation or small group conversations. A trio of Bubbling Urns provides a wonderful place to watch local birds quench their thirst or wash their wings.
As you stroll the pathways, be sure to pause on the bridge, and maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of a big, colorful koi splashing around in the main waterfall.
Enter the hospital for yet another relaxing oasis. Next to the cafeteria, in a cozy outdoor courtyard, you’ll find a fountain that offers the sights and sounds of water in a smaller footprint.
Welcome to the
REFLECTION GARDEN
The first thing you’ll see as you drive to the hospital’s main entrance is a huge boulder waterfall surrounded by a woodland garden. More than 40,000 gallons of water crashes over this waterfall every hour, creating an awe-inspiring display that looks amazing from any angle.
This raised woodland garden provides a perfect privacy screen to the meadows and streams of the hidden Reflection Garden. The plantings provide a naturalistic softening that enhances the modern architecture of the hospital building.
The waterfall design and plant materials were carefully chosen to replicate the native plantings and rolling topography for which York County is known.
The Reflection Garden is designed with lots of seating for quiet contemplation or small group conversations. A trio of Bubbling Urns provides a wonderful place to watch local birds quench their thirst or wash their wings.
As you stroll the pathways, be sure to pause on the bridge, and maybe you’ll catch a glimpse of a big, colorful koi splashing around in the main waterfall.
Enter the hospital for yet another relaxing oasis. Next to the cafeteria, in a cozy outdoor courtyard, you’ll find a fountain that offers the sights and sounds of water in a smaller footprint.
A Place for Healing
This garden is more than just pretty.
Humans are hardwired to seek solace in nature. Our ancestors looked for trickling streams to quench their thirst, shaded alcoves for protection from predators and lush greenery for foraging.
The comfort we derive from these spaces goes beyond aesthetics; it can actually improve our physical health. And you need only look at Reflection Gardens like the one at UPMC Memorial for proof.
Verdant trees, bright flowers and other natural elements relieve stress. Water triggers a scientifically measurable sense of ease in most people.
The link between gardens and stress relief, and between stress relief and healing, make green spaces a natural fit for hospital settings. It’s an idea that far predates modern medicine – but one that has become increasingly popular with modern hospital designers.
The Reflection Garden at UPMC Memorial serves as a perfect complement to the public outdoor walking paths surrounding the hospital, offering a beautiful outdoor retreat where people need it most.
Our goal here at Splash over the past 30 years has been simple: Help people relax and reconnect with nature. We can’t wait to continue fulfilling this mission at the new UPMC Pinnacle hospital, as well as in backyards throughout the region.
