UMBRELLA HOUSE ROOFTOP GARDEN

LOCATION: New York, NY

PROGRAM: Residential Rooftop Garden

TOTAL AREA: 1,000 SF

CLIENT: 21 Avenue C HDFC

PARTNERS: Umbrella House Community

The 1,000 SF rooftop garden project sits atop Umbrella House, an HDFC low income cooperative. Working with the tenants in a collaborative process, Paul A. Castrucci Architects helped to develop a project that includes 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.