Quote:
Originally Posted by NYguy
I think too much is made of the "green" in these spaces (for example, the Spiral). The green is only there because its outdoor space. When we have these spaces at street level - with trees - no one complains about having foliage for four seasons. The point of that outdoor space is that it's outdoor space. If it's green in the summertime, and cold in the wintertime, well yes. Welcome to New York. It's not supposed to be green year 'round.
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That's not really my point, the trouble is the trees die, it's a very common problem. They don't get the drainage/soil/nutrients correct, hot/cold updrafts are too much for them or they don't spend enough on arborists to choose and maintain the right types of trees. Ground level trees are completely different. And as I also stated these outdoor office spaces just don't get used often, and therefore building management stops maintaining them. They're there because it's a trend in architecture which works in the tropics (mostly hanging vines and other tropical plants), looks good in renderings and gives the aura of "green design" but isn't really suitable for a place like NY. Residential might be another story, but you don't see this intensive greenery there because it's understood most wealthy residents are only ensconced a certain number of weeks a year and they will balk at paying the exorbitant fees necessary to maintain 40 or so floors of trees collectively. You do see them sometimes on podiums (where they tend to do fine) or rooftops (where the higher the elevation, the less likely they are to survive for a variety of reasons). This is an ongoing debate in the architecture community, and I'm of the belief that clients are being sold a green rendering in the case of this and the Spiral which will never really exist. Just plant some hardy grasses and call it a day.
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