GREENWICH STREET ROOFTOP GARDEN
New York, NY

The proximity of the Hudson River provided the inspiration for a plethora of native plantings; an abstraction of the Hudson River shoreline  and adjacent woodlands. The sharp forms and angles of the rooftop, the novel use of materials and plantings echoes the logic of the Highline as well; a preexisting platform strategically chopped, compositionally planted, and recycled into a new form of urban enclave.

A unique feature of the design is a fifty-foot shading pergola.  Once the foliage grows out and starts to hide the wire, it looks simply magical as vines; leaves and flowers appear to float above you.

The roof is located atop a landmark building in the historic section of Tribeca, and is entered from the apartment below.  Screening the view of the adjacent building abutting the entire western perimeter was a primary challenge.

Different types of plants subtly compliment the various areas of the roof.  Pond plants, shrubs, vines and grasses are each organized with their symbiotic partners, creating multiple microcosms within the roof.

The datum of the deck lies a few feet above the roof, allowing for plants to be planted below the decking, creating a sense of their growing directly out of the ground, as in nature rather than on an urban rooftop, which is often inhabited purely by potted plants.

The project takes advantage of passive cooling techniques as well.  The triangular pergola, laced by two vines of white clematis, provides shade from above and the 9’ screen of bamboo along the west side of the roof casts  shadows from the afternoon sun.