The front of St. Paul’s Hospital on Burrard Street looks more colourful and welcoming these days, thanks to a creative refresh.
The improvements at the hospital’s entrance are the result of local community donors and suppliers coming together.
Peter Bull, a long-time Providence Health Care director with a background in commercial real estate, spearheaded the project. He helped raise funds and contacted a range of suppliers, from a local landscape architectural firm to an Indigenous artist who transformed the paths to the front doors with stunning Salish imagery.
Bright walkways feature Indigenous art
Now, instead of walking up a grey cement path to the front door, visitors use a walkway brightly painted in pink, blue, red and green hues. And on either side of that main path, the wheelchair walkways are bright pink, overlaid with Indigenous art by Musqueam artist Cole Sparrow-Crawford.
He was inspired by the lifecycle of the salmon, a vital resource to Salish culture and tradition. “The art captures the relationship Salish people have with this animal,” says Sparrow-Crawford. “Starting with the Salish eye, the eye of our ancestors, seen in the painting in the position of an egg in spawn, the salmon can be seen following the wheelchair path along the Salish sea towards the entrance of the building.”
He adds: “Along the straight path in green are the coastal mountains reflected in a traditional Salish weaving pattern, connecting the threads of my culture to this territory it comes from.”
Other elements of the updated entrance include new plants, landscaping, and lighting to offer patients, visitors, staff and the community an artful welcome to the hospital.
The project is completely funded by donors. They dedicated the improvements to health care workers generally, and to those at St. Paul’s Hospital and Providence Health Care in particular.
Paul Sangha Creative, a leading Vancouver landscape architectural firm, led the design work of the garden on a pro bono basis. Sangha and colleague Vikas Tanwar organized a “charrette”, or collaborative planning process with its staff to brainstorm improvements to the entrance. It came up with designs for the arrangement of plants, overhead lighting and other touches, along with sidewalk painting.
Bull notes: “We wanted to light up the space, provide some greenery and generate a positive, welcoming environment for people when they arrived at the hospital.”
The hospital entrance now features a grove of Amelanchier or Saskatoon Berry, dotted with lampposts holding strings of colour-changing lights. There are birdhouses in the trees, created by local artist, Shayla Giroux.
Forty-five new trees add lushness to entrance
The 45 newly planted trees bring an infusion of greenery into the area, while also becoming a tree nursery. Their berries can be harvested to produce jams and other sweet tokens of appreciation for hospital staff, supporters and patients, says Bull.
The enhancements replace the once-dark and underutilized alcoves alongside Burrard Street with lush, vegetated ledges, and a wall of climbing vines to conceal views of the hospital’s multi-level parking structure.
Many community partners played a role
Bull envisions the space as one that can offer opportunities for coffee carts and other food/beverage options for patients, staff, visitors and passersby.
St. Paul’s Hospital and Providence Health Care says it is grateful to Bull for his work to raise funds and gather suppliers to undertake the project. The hospital is grateful to the following for their contributions toward the initiative:
- Cole Sparrow-Crawford – Musqueam Artist
- Paul Sangha Creative – Landscape Architecture – Overall Design & Project Oversight
- Rory Doyle – Floor artwork, production and installation
- Serenity Landscapes Inc. – Landscape Company
- Shayla Giroux Design – Bird House Design & Build and art co-ordination
- Riddleworks Plasma Cutting & Fabrication – Metal Works
- FestiLight – Lights Installation
- Pacifica Nurseries Inc. – Trees Supplier
