The New York Skyline Is Going Green

ODA is taking vertical gardening to whole new (very literal) level. The New York based architecture firm‘s latest project is a six-hundred foot tall, 41-story luxury residential sky scraper, which incorporates green spaces into the structure of the building by placing private sculpture gardens every two floors among the upper levels. Supported by futuristic white beams, these 16-foot open-air spaces provide both aesthetic value and support, by minimizing the wind load that otherwise burdens many skyscrapers.

Behind ODA’s innovative design is the “dream of suburban backyard”–carving out a place for nature in the urban tundra. Eran Chen, the executive director of ODA, told The Real Deal, “There’s going to be a time in New York City where living without a substantial outdoor space is just going to be unacceptable.” He added, “All these towers that don’t have them are going to lose their value.”

According ODA, the building is the “ultimate urban fantasy”: the welding of city vigor and pastoral relaxation. In addition to the open garden floors, the facade is constructed almost entirely in glass; by relying on natural light, Chen hopes to build up nature’s place in daily life. By practicing architecture that embraces nature and the spaces it creates, Chen hopes to “restore all that we have sacrificed.”

“By practicing architecture that embraces nature and the spaces it creates, Chen hopes to “restore all that we have sacrificed.’”

Chen’s philosophy is part of a larger trend, one that signals a growing desire to balance what is functional with what is meaningful. As climate change becomes an increasingly urgent threat to modern life, nature and city have found new ways to complement each other and co-exist. And at 303 East 44th Street, things are looking up.

The property, located in New York City at 303 East 44th St., is set to begin construction in April/May 2016.