Growing up in Staten Island I have a unique perspective, as an outsider, especially when it comes to city architecture. Growing up in Staten Island I was always told that the other boroughs were nothing like staten Island and that all of them are cramped with not even enough space for a park or play ground. So when I saw the model for this building what came to mind was how wrong that perspective was. What first drew me to this building is the ingenuity of space utilization. For example how the roof tops are utilized as green spaces and also a way of producing energy with solar panels and trees as well as grass. Then reading more about how the design was selected, through a competition, conveyed an extremely intelligent way of getting the community to introduce new and innovative idea’s that will further help the community living there. However the particular aspect of this design that intrigued me the most about this design are the roof top gardens. These gardens are not only an intelligent use of space but also a way to bring the people living in the building together. All of whom can grow fresh produce and get to know one another on the roof top gardens. This building completely contradicts the monolithic concrete towers that we came to expect of the other boroughs, and illustrates how more can be done with less.
Mohammed, you are absolutely right that the rooftop gardens represent a new urban design strategy to bring people together and bring them closer to nature, too. Do you think residents would suggest this kind of design themselves–if they were asked?
Professor Zukin