2024 Summer Issue of Urban Land - 77

The 30th Street lobby, as designed by Shimoda Design Group and Montroy DeMarco Architecture, continues the use of
Douglas fir wood planks, offering a clean, continuous wall surface with sculptural lighting and carefully placed seating.
Tenants' ease of engaging with these
natural-world components can contribute
to many physical and mental health
benefits.
Science-based landscape design
The Morgan North landscape development
transformation is possible today
through its comprehensive integration
of state-of-the-art living-roof technologies.
The rooftop's seven-floor elevation,
three-sided exposure, and proximity to
the Hudson River waterfront together
create a unique set of seasonal environmental
conditions. HMWhite conducted
digital 3-D modeling of seasonal
microclimate conditions to measure
and assess ranges of wind and solar
intensities affecting growing conditions
and comfort levels for tenants. Design
strategies to mitigate project areas with
extreme wind and sunlight conditions
were incorporated and coordinated with
other objectives.
Coniferous " shelterbelts " were positioned
to combat prevailing winds from
the northwest. Collections of shade tree
groves situated at large congregation
areas reduce ambient and roof surface
temperatures during the summer months
and offer relief from direct sunlight.
As these plantings mature, enhanced
landscape experiences will deepen
with extended seasonal use. A medley
of garden trellises also provides shade
where the weight of shade trees was not
possible.
The landscape design incorporated
relevant lower Hudson River Valley
upland and lowland plant ecologies
to instill long-term sustainability and
establish low-maintenance requirements.
Microclimate studies identified various
challenging growing conditions that
resembled ones in local landscapes.
Performance-proven plant communities
from these regional landscapes informed
Morgan North's plantings.
The New York City building code stipulates
public safety and health criteria
for rooftop public assembly space that
identify the amount of occupiable space
allowed. Given the rooftop's unprecedented
size for landscape development,
code compliance revealed the need
for significantly large " non-occupiable "
areas. The required barrier zones translated
into expansive landscape zones.
The scale and continuity of these areas
presented a significant landscape design
opportunity. Undulating and meandering
planting swaths emerged as the rooftop's
primary space-defining tool. The
size of these spatial barriers enabled the
creation of landscape types previously
known to exist only at ground level.
Design aspirations
Experiencing the Morgan North landscape
lets tenants and visitors be
immersed within its multisensory qualities
and make deep connections with its
many natural elements. These dynamic
qualities are where city and garden
merge. The intersection of architecture
with nature is shown to enhance creativity,
productivity, and personal interactions
due to its physical, mental, and
spiritual benefits to well-being. This new
urban oasis paradigm defines the " new
office park. " Its economic benefits, from
intellectual recharging and productivity
increases, set the groundwork for positive
future endeavors. UL
HANK WHITE, FASLA, CLARB, is founding principal,
HMWhite.
SUMMER 202 4
URBAN LAND
77
INDUSTRY VOICES
JOE THOMAS

2024 Summer Issue of Urban Land

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2024 Summer Issue of Urban Land