Interior Design Best of Year 2008 Eco-Residential WinnerAIA NY State Award of Excellence 2009 AIA Westchester/Mid-Hudson Chapter Honor AwardPushing green design beyond the familiar incorporation of a list of sustainable materials, this Broadway penthouse renovation rethinks the notion of an urban garden by literally bringing the outside in. Exterior wood decking and vegetation flow into the heart of the loft, forming a planted core, a living green veil that screens the public living/dining room from the private master bedroom. The
stair bulkhead doubles as a skylight and provides access to a roof terrace planted with sedum and grasses.
This green core is tactile as well as a visual: the owner can bathe surrounded by lush vegetation visible through a glass wall that separates the bathroom from this planted
zone. The rear of the bathroom is clad with modular plant panels. Surmounted by a skylight, this living wall is yet another element that vertically links the roof and interior.
An eco-friendly palette of natural and synthetic materials confounds traditional distinctions between natural and artificial. When seen from the entry, the planted core merges with the living lounge: the upholstered floor and seating evoke a textile garden, the interior counterpart to the roof terrace, where a bed of sedum defines a walkable planted surface.