Radio Tower & Hotel Courtyard

New York, NY

JPLA designed this 8,000 sf courtyard at the heart of a new hotel as part of a 22 story mixed use development in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan.
The courtyard landscape encompasses a variety of gathering spaces including an outdoor dining area for the hotel’s restaurant, a flexible space for lounging, games and special events, and an area for casual dining with food service from an airstream trailer. Serpentine Corten steel planter walls form a lush green spine that weaves through the center of the courtyard and gives definition to these spaces. The curvilinear planting walls integrate the courtyards ramp, monumental steps and its three terrace levels which occur above the building cellar’s stepped slab. The planters provide soil depth for a variety of low maintenance, shade tolerant plantings including native dogwood and sweetbay magnolia trees, azaleas, sedges and evergreen groundcovers. Custom hardwood benches and banquette seating provide sheltered places to sit and dine beneath the verdant planting.
CLIENT: Youngwoo & Associates
DESIGN ARCHITECT: MVRDV
EXECUTIVE ARCHITECT OF RECORD: Stonehill Taylor
AREA: 8000 SF
STATUS: Completed Fall 2022