The Bridge Garden at Sheltering Arms Institute

Sheltering Arms Institute in Richmond, Virginia is an inpatient physical rehabilitation facility where clinicians, scientists, innovators, and technologists work together to apply research in real time to help people recover from a wide range of conditions from brain and spinal cord injuries to stroke, arthritis, and joint replacements. In 2023, Sheltering Arms celebrated the opening of The Bridge Garden, an outdoor space beautifully curated to provide a venue for patients and their loved ones to spend quality time, as well as to incorporate the benefits of fresh air and the outdoors into therapeutic practices.

The Bridge Garden was named in recognition of a generous gift from The Jane and Arthur Flippo Foundation, in appreciation of the care received by Arthur Flippo, William (Bill) Hutchins and many other friends and family. Sheltering Arms was Bill’s “bridge” between hospital and home. For two months at Sheltering Arms, an integral part of his rehabilitation included reestablishing connections with friends, co-workers and family. Through these experiences Bill and his wife Beth recognized a need for a special gathering place, away from the clinical setting, to reset these important relationships.

Heurista was contracted to continue our on-going partnership with the Sheltering Arms Foundation by designing and implementing an exterior area naming program for the Bridge Garden. A centralized map element was planned to provide an overview of landscaping elements and gifts given in support of the Bridge Garden. The map also serves as a therapeutic tool used in patient care. The central map utilizes several methods of visual association that are well-documented wayfinding strategies in medical facilities and other public spaces to diversify communication and accessibility to the signage. Each area to be identified was assigned a number, a color, and a shape. This iconography then was used on the individual area naming signs to associate them with the centralized map. The design of the area naming signs ties in closely with the visual brand of Sheltering Arms in both the shape, and color.