Projects

Capitol Plaza

Location:

New York, New York

With the re-orientation of the building’s residential lobby and its main entrance feeding into the privately owned public plaza, this ground floor amenity space became somewhat of a liability in the minds of the building owners. HMWhite re-conceived the 10,500 sf plaza into a neighborhood attraction that building tenants, community residents, workers and retail patrons, take over and turn into a safe haven through regular usage.

As a through block public plaza, the narrow, linear space design invites open meandering movement. Passing through the plaza’s planted gateways, one is encapsulated by a sequence of multi-layered planting beds and vine covered trellis walls that disguise the masonry context. The variety of colorful and welcoming seating elements and dining pods suggest that this place is no longer a neighborhood short cut, but rather a place of repose and reflection. The mix of spaces within the plaza design accommodate privacy as well as spontaneous social engagement. The plaza’s evening ambiance will sustain the positive dynamism of daytime use through festive lighting and the evening highlighting of architectural and planted features. The use of a practical, yet inspired design approach resulted in prompt and enthusiastic endorsement from the NYC’s Department of City Planning’s most discerning agents.

Client:

JP Morgan

Design Team:

Landscape Architect: HMWhite
Owners Representative: Edifice Real Estate Partners
Architect: Perkins Eastman Architects
Lighting Designer: Dot Dash
Irrigation Consultant: WC3 Design
POPS Expeditor: Herrick, Feinstein LLP

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