BBG Visitor Center design wins City award

Design cross-section of BBG’s planned Visitor Center (courtesy Weiss/Manfredi)

The Public Design Commission of the City of New York (formerly the Art Commission) awarded Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Weiss/Manfredi design firm, the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation its 2008 Award for Excellence in Design, conferred on July 1 at a ceremony at the New Museum. The award recognizes the superb integration of form, function, and sustainable practice in the design of the Garden’s new Visitor Center.
Press Release

See BBG’s Visitor Center page for more renderings.

The Visitor Center aspires to earn LEED Gold certification and will feature sustainable design elements including a living roof, recycled building materials, passive solar components, geothermal heating, and bioswales (recessed catchment zones filled with water-loving plants) that will improve storm-water management and relieve the burden on the municipal sewer system. The 22,000-square-foot complex will also house an expanded garden shop, a much-needed orientation room for tours and classes, an information desk, a dramatic oval-shaped event space, a refreshment bar, and other visitor amenities.

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Links

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Wins Award for Green Visitor Center Design

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Visitor Center, Weiss/Manfredi
Visitor Center, BBG

2 thoughts on “BBG Visitor Center design wins City award

  1. Cool design! I always wonder whether the soil medium is deep enough for tree roots (even in intensive green roofs), but obviously it must be, and I guess most roots spread out, not down. Hmmm….

  2. Your hunch is right, Monica. Those trees are actually on a berm behind the building. Check out some of the other renderings on the BBG site for a different look at the building.

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