UMBRELLA HOUSE ROOFTOP GARDEN
LOCATION: New York, NY
PROGRAM: Residential Rooftop Garden
TOTAL AREA: 1,000 SF
CLIENT: 21 Avenue C Housing Development Fund Corporation (HDFC)
PARTNERS: Umbrella House Community
The 1,000 SF rooftop garden project sits atop Umbrella House, an HDFC low-income cooperative located with Manhattan’s Lower East Side neighborhood. Working with the tenants in a collaborative process, Paul A. Castrucci Architects. PLLC helped to develop a project that included structural steel framing consisting of 14x6” beams and concrete planking to support the raised 8” planting beds. A stormwater management strategy utilizes a mixture of gravel with the planting soil and will hopefully serve as an example for future urban gardens across the city.
The first planting was Spring 2015 and so far the garden has produced zucchini, tomatoes, okra, broccoli, spinach, beets, peas, eggplant, lettuce and swiss chard, among other vegetables, and a plethora of flowers and herbs.