Normandie Court is a large luxury residential complex which occupies an entire city block of the Upper East Side. Coinciding with the transformation of the 2nd Avenue corridor by the MTA subway expansion, the owners were inspired to redesign the exterior and landscape. They called on SWA/Balsley’s experience and vision to provide a complete redesign, which would attract the next generation of residents to the towers, but also provide an exciting refresh to the 1.5 acres of open space. Normandie Court will offer the public a large, redesigned street-level plaza and generous seating on custom seat wall planters, as well as a stunning 30-foot water feature. The arrangements of the planters invite both personal conversation and larger group social interaction, with many distinct areas to congregate and people-watch. The plaza will be “carpeted” in grey-toned linear pavers, which visually hold together the entire streetscape and upper residential terrace. Rather than separate the Privately Owned Public Space (POPS), the design incorporates that area, feathering the boundaries of public vs. private, and successfully blends the MTA structures into the ‘POPS’ plaza, offering an inviting pause from the surrounding city for commuters. The redesigned streetscape will provide an iconic cultural reference for this reinvigorated Upper East Side neighborhood.
Ambleside Mixed-Use Development
Landscape improvements for this new mixed-use development integrate and enhance the streetscape improvement measures the city of West Vancouver is currently implementing, providing a vibrant and pedestrian friendly landscape along the entire perimeter of the site. The landscape design for the 1300 Block, Marine Drive South at Ambleside Village Centre contribut...
Stanford Toyon Hall
Toyon Hall, a significant historic building originally designed by Bakewell and Brown Architects in 1922, is a three-story structure centered around a magnificent formal courtyard with arcades and arches. The purpose of the project was to preserve, maintain and enhance the building and site. Our scope of work included evaluation of existing site conditions and...
101 Warren
Perched atop a two-story structure, towered over by a connecting residential high rise and surrounded by studio apartments, this unique urban pine forest stands in a bed of low-hanging fog and reaches to the clear skies above. One hundred and one white pines, planted in a loose formation of elliptical mounds, seem cast adrift in a sea of washed river stone. Dw...
Ray Residence
Perched on a promontory overlooking Gustavia’s harbor entrance, this home site is one of St. Bart’s most dramatic. It enjoys all of the qualities of the Caribbean lifestyle: sunset, ocean and harbor views, breezes, porches, gardens, lawns, courtyards, and an extraordinary swimming pool.
Beginning with an extensive analysis of the sloping rocky site, the...