Owner: St. Vincent's One NIneteen

Location: 7191 Cahaba Valley Road, Hoover, Alabama 35242

Project Size: 9,725 sq ft

The St. Vincent’s One Nineteen Sisters Garden is a sequence of outdoor spaces designed as a fundamental component of the St. Vincent’s Health System’s Healing Ministry. This sacred space constitutes a meditative garden and labyrinth, ethereal canopy and intimate gathering spaces. The design of the One Nineteen Sisters Garden included planning charrettes with the healthcare providers and caregivers that serve the ministry. The collaborative effort with the St. Vincent’s One Nineteen healthcare providers was invaluable in articulating the purpose of the Sacred Space. Ideas flowing from these work sessions suggested a space that welcomed growth, sharing, renewing of the inner life, persistence of purpose and reminding us of the spiritual presence in all of creation.

The Sisters Garden is sited in the center of the One Nineteen Campus connecting the existing wellness facility and the new Ambulatory Surgery Center. The design underscores the physical and spiritual centrality of the project. Each detail element reinforces the concept of suspension between introspection and outward engagement.  Cedar screens shelter sojourners while maintaining a visual connection to their surroundings. A translucent canopy arcs across the space, drawing passers-by into a moment of ephemeral contemplation.