The terrace landscape at 250 West 55th Street occupies the third floor of a new corporate office tower designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Its design considered not only how the space might be occupied, but also how it might become a visual amenity for the higher floors of the tower and its urban context. The design has attained LEED Gold certification by making provisions for stormwater management, reductions in the urban heat island effect, and the use of recycled materials.
The design embraces SOM’s minimalist design of the tower, juxtaposing natural plant material with its stark materiality of glass and steel. A deck is placed amidst a monolithic sculpted meadow of low grasses and birch trees, an unaltered piece of nature with the dynamic movement of grasses dancing in the wind. When viewed from inside the space, the deck appears as an island embraced by nature, the grasses adding a tactile quality to the user’s experience. As seen from the street, an airy canopy of birch trees provides a natural foil to the reflective quality of the façade.
The design is a strong, simple gesture that allows the terrace to create a sense of escape from daily office activity, whether one looks into the meadow from above or experiences the meadow from within. The contrast of materiality between the landform and the building’s façade creates a solution that is powerful yet understated, minimal yet dynamic, whimsical yet elegant and to be enjoyed for years to come.
Burj Khalifa
Playing on the theme of “A Tower in a Park,” this shaded landscape creates a compelling oasis of green, with distinct areas to serve the tower’s hotel, residential, spa and corporate office areas. The visitor begins at the main arrival court at the base of the tower, where the “prow” of the building intersects a grand circular court—a “water room” defined by f...
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Flushing Commons
This ten-acre mixed-use development with parks, plazas, and retail will become the center of social and retail activity in downtown Flushing. Driven mostly by an influx of immigrants from East Asia, Flushing is one of the fastest-growing and most diverse neighborhoods in the US. Abuzz with shopping and socializing at all hours of the day and evening, its stree...
Brentwood Town Centre
Following SWA’s development of a 2013 master plan for a new town center adjacent to the existing Brentwood Shopping Mall, the firm was enlisted to design the project’s public realm and expand its role as an integrated, sustainable, urban community. With key connectivity to main vehicular arteries and a high-speed train line, the new development functions as a ...