The Porch: Urban, Aquatic, and Crystaline
Our work focuses on creating liminal spaces that mediate boundaries: public and private, inside and outside, architecture and landscape, intimate and generous. The nature of the porch in its broadest definition is where thresholds and interfaces create new opportunities for environmental and social resilience.
The trio of porches presented above and below the pleats of this installation are envisioned as a Leporello, an unfolding book that includes reflections of drawings and images to reveal the porch’s capacity to catalyze new forms of public engagement.
At Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park, two porches – one urban and one aquatic – are distinct destinations within the park. The Urban Porch frames views of the river and the urban horizon of Manhattan, offering shade during the day and shelter for passengers of the East River Ferry. The pleated roof gives focus to planned and spontaneous gatherings while collecting water and solar energy for the park’s irrigation and lighting. The Aquatic Porch, a cantilevered belvedere hovering above the East River, welcomes moments of contemplation and recreation, sheltering both people and aquatic life along its wetland waterfront walk.
The Longwood Gardens Conservatory translates the legacy of the glass house into a Crystalline Porch that hovers over waters that connect outside and inside. The Conservatory’s glass structure is a living, breathing building, with climate activated walls and roof panels that shelter a Mediterranean garden collection. Earth ducts bring temperate air into the Conservatory, stormwater is collected in the glass pleats, and the botanic wonders inside offer a place of respite and connections to nature.
