Del Salvador Hospital – Healing Garden
More than 250,000 people pass through the Hospital del Salvador each year, including patients, their families, and staff members. This important hospital complex in the capital was built in 1871 and is considered a valuable example of the characteristic hospital architecture of the last century. For this reason, its main façade and central core, including the interior gardens and chapel, were declared a Historic Monument in 1985.
The hospital has 12 interior gardens, conceived in its original design and construction, but whose maintenance and use over time gave way to other priorities.
Seeking to restore these natural spaces and convert them into therapeutic gardens, we collaborated on the “Recovery of the Interior Gardens of the Hospital del Salvador” project with the Inspira Foundation. Through participatory assessments and designs with the hospital community, we were able to restore and deliver five healing gardens to the Hospital del Salvador.
“El Ceibo” Healing Garden
The Ceibo Garden was inaugurated in September 2016, redesigning an area open to the entire hospital community. The space is located in front of the ICU, serving as an open-air waiting room that welcomes staff and family members of patients admitted to that unit.
To reclaim this space and transform it into a healing garden, we formed a new public-private partnership among Cosmos and Inspira Foundations, Hospital del Salvador, Cábala Audiovisual Production, the Dr. Hernán Alessandri Foundation, and El Palomar nursery. Their contributions and collaborative work were fundamental to the development of this new project.
In the “El Ceibo” garden, elements from the old hospital building, currently being demolished, were reused: the circular bench surrounding the ceibo tree and the garden access doors belonged to the maternity unit, and the seats were part of the central park.
Today, the “El Ceibo” Garden serves as a waiting room, welcoming and providing support to family members of patients admitted to the hospital, as well as the rest of the hospital community.
Healing Garden Almez Park
The Almez Park Healing Garden was inaugurated in August 2016 and is located between two postoperative hospitalization units at Hospital del Salvador, whose windows and doors connect directly to the garden. It is therefore a unique space that welcomes hospitalized patients who are mobile enough to go out and enjoy and benefit from nature.
Almez Park was restored by taking advantage of the existing vegetation, among which a large hackberry tree stands out. The project included the addition of new species with varied colors and aromas, the construction of paths for exploring them, and the installation of benches to provide sufficient areas for rest and contemplation. The construction of a ramp allowed universal access to the garden, and the facades of the surrounding buildings were painted to reflect the restoration of the site.
This work had invaluable support from DIRECTV Chile, which, as part of its corporate social responsibility program “Generación DIRECTV,” recruited dozens of volunteers from the company to lead the restoration efforts at the site.
La Fuente Garden / UPC
In July 2015, the restoration of the La Fuente/UPC garden was inaugurated. This involved restoring the existing landscape, incorporating new vegetation, building infrastructure, and providing furniture.
This garden was conceived and designed as a space for the staff of the Critical Patient Unit, with the goal of providing them with a place of rest and relaxation where they can connect with nature and receive the physical and emotional benefits that this brings. The result of experiencing a garden for a few minutes is not only beneficial for the staff, but also for the patients in their care.
Los Naranjos Garden
The Los Naranjos Garden is located in the courtyard of the Surgery Polyclinic at the Hospital del Salvador and was inaugurated in May 2014. This is a highly visited area, as it is home to the only open-air cafe on the premises. It is visited by nearly 40,000 people each month, including doctors, staff, patients, and their families.
The design of the new garden retained the orange trees that give this historic hospital courtyard its name, while adding various plant species. New furniture, a sculpture, and informative signage about the uses and benefits of this outdoor gathering and relaxation space were also incorporated.
Home Hospitalization Garden
The first green area to be restored within the facility was the Home Hospitalization garden. Through a collaborative effort between the Cosmos Foundation, the Mar Adentro Foundation, and the Inspira Foundation, hospital management, physicians, staff, the green area maintenance team, and volunteers, an outdoor waiting area was created in December 2013 with furniture and trees, creating a more welcoming and inviting space for relaxation.