REMSEN STREET COURTYARD

The courtyard creates a holistic landscape for the urban environment, situating a single family house in Brooklyn Heights within local histories and the larger regional ecosystem.  The design functions as an urban refuge for the family, with outdoor dining space, daybed and reading lounge, and a children's velodrome.  The design formulates a contemporary response to a site rich with history.  Two 150 Year old Magnolia x soulangeana trees, named significant by the Brooklyn Botanical Garden, prompted an overall strategy that protects and enhances the centennial trees.  

The courtyard systematically employs sustainable techniques to enhance the landscape's function. The green roofs, heavily planted with native perennials, reduce water runoff while the courtyard handles its own.  The abundant native plantings of the roof and courtyard offer respite and feeding grounds to the overlapping east coast migratory bird channel.

The project received a 2008 NY ASLA Merit Award for Design.

Location: Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, NY_Size: 2,600 Square Feet + 1,200 Square Feet of Native Green Roof _Client: Private Resident _Collaborators: Daniel Frisch Architects _Contractors: New York Green Roofs, Chartwell Builders Inc._Status: Complete _Year: 2003 _Team: Steven Tupu, Meaghan Lynch, Kurt Martig