21st Street Plaza

At Dolly Parton Children's Hospital, Barber McMurry designed a new pedestrian plaza to improve patient safety on the hospital's urban campus.

The plaza not only allows safe crossing for pedestrians to and from the hospital's towers and parking garage, it creates a pleasant outdoor space for patients and staff members to walk, eat, socialize, or simply relax. Access to natural light, trees, and nature has been shown to have positive impacts on patients in medical settings, as well as reduce stress for families and hospital staff. As the trees in the plaza grow, it will become a natural respite in the city.