Weiss/Manfredi's Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center wins a NYC Design Commission Award

Weiss/Manfredi's Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center received a 2008 Award for Excellence in Design from the NYC Design Commission. The awards will be presented during a reception with the Mayor at the New Museum.

Like the gardens themselves, the building is experienced cinematically and is never seen in its entirety. The serpentine form of the Visitor Center is generated by the garden's existing pathways. The primary entry to the building from Washington Avenue is visible from the street, a secondary route from the top of the berm slides through the visitor center, frames views of the Japanese Garden, and descends through a stepped ramp to the main level of the Garden.

The building utilizes earth mass and spectrally selective fritted glass to achieve a high-performing building envelope, minimizing heat gain and maximizing natural illumination. A geothermal heat-exchange system is used to heat and cool the interior spaces. Additional sustainable strategies include a green roof, storm water management, and rainwater collection that irrigate a series of landscaped terraces.

A chameleon-like structure, the visitor center transitions from an architectural presence at the street into a structured landscape in the botanic garden.