Alice and Herbert Sachs Therapeutic Conservatory
Elkins Park, PA, USA
84 sf. Greenwall

Greenroofs.com Featured Project February 18, 2019

We love great living architecture projects both big and small, and the Alice and Herbert Sachs Therapeutic Conservatory greenwall certainly packs a huge organic punch in its compact 84 square feet!

Image: LiveWall

Providing nature-like settings along with views of vegetation have long been proven to soothe the soul, relax the mind, and even encourage healing in hospital settings.  Fostering a connection back to nature, the therapeutic values of plants are numerous, from being able to touch and smell the leaves and blossoms to just seeing them.

Image: LiveWall

Excerpt from Project Profile:

MossRehab is the physical and cognitive rehabilitation division of the Einstein Healthcare Network in the Philadelphia region. MossRehab opened the Alice and Herbert Sachs Therapeutic Conservatory at its main Elkins Park, Pennsylvania facility in 2014 to expand and enhance its horticultural therapy program.

Designed by Chianis + Anderson Architects, the 1,500 square foot Conservatory is divided into three connected sections.

The “Work” room includes a work table and storage cabinets. “Grow” and “Show” are housed within a greenhouse structure, and the Show Room is a plant-filled place of respite.

The Show section features an 84 square foot green wall that is 12 feet wide x 7 feet tall, installed with the LiveWall® Indoor Living Wall System. The green wall is accessible to staff, patients and their families, and guests at special events.

Set for dinner! Image: LiveWall

Image: MossRehab Facebook page

The Conservatory extends the landscape to the interior, and the Show Room was designed as a sun filled, relaxing and rejuvenating green space — a retreat from the hospital environment. In addition to the green wall, Show includes a clear glass water wall, daylighting, natural teak furnishings, potted plants, and accessible raised planting beds.

The architects screened a large masonry wall with the LiveWall green wall which adds a garden element and more plants without taking up precious floor space. It also provides a strong visual impact in relationship with the water wall and creates the central showpiece of this section.

Image: LiveWall

Image: LiveWall

While the initial plant palette consisted of three varieties of Pothos, MossRehab completely changes out the wall’s annuals once year and changes other plants periodically, six to ten modules at a time. Many plant options include using poinsettias and evergreens during the holidays or adding decorations and different flowers for special events.

What makes this green wall truly unique? With guidance and instruction, the green wall plants are cared for by patients who are recovering and healing, providing a beautiful horticultural therapy benefit. The Alice and Herbert Sachs Therapeutic Conservatory Show Room is an oasis for patients and their families, and a refuge from their cares and stresses.

Image: MossRehab Facebook page

Year: 2014
Owner: MossRehab, Einstein Healthcare Network
Location: Elkins Park, PA, USA
Building Program: Healthcare
Greenwall Type: Living Wall
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 84 sq.ft.
Slope: 100%
Access: Accessible, Public

Image: LiveWall

Credits:

ARCHITECT:
CHIANIS + ANDERSON ARCHITECTS

GREENWALL SYSTEM:
LIVEWALL

GREENWALL INSTALLATION:
DUPUY CONSTRUCTION SERVICES

GREENHOUSE STRUCTURE:
ROUGH BROTHERS

WATER FEATURE:
BLUWORLD OF WATER WATERWALL™

Image: LiveWall

All the Info:

View the Alice and Herbert Sachs Therapeutic Conservatory project profile to see ALL of the Photos and Additional Information about this particular project in the Greenroofs.com Projects Database.

Featured Project

Watch the Alice and Herbert Sachs Therapeutic Conservatory Featured Project Video above or see it on our GreenroofsTV channel on YouTube.  Read more about the project in Green Wall in Therapeutic Conservatory — Not Just for “Show”, a guest feature by Amber Ponce and David Aquilina.

Did we miss your contribution?  Please let us know to add you to the Alice and Herbert Sachs Therapeutic Conservatory profile.

Would you like one of your projects to be featured on Greenroofs.com?  We have to have a profile first!  Submit Your Project Profile.

Love the Earth, Plant a Roof or Wall!

By Linda S. Velazquez, ASLA, LEED AP, GRP
Greenroofs.com Publisher & Greenroofs & Walls of the World™ Virtual Summits Host