This project investigates the challenges posed by taking high density urban housing off-the-grid as generative of new modes of domesticity. In particular, the ecological and infrastructural challenges facing New York City are explored as opportunities for alternative domestic programs and environmental systems. This project proposal asks its users to alter their habits while it develops explicit tectonic expressions of its relation to natural and artificial systems of energy,
waste and water, and transportation. Vertical Park Tower is a housing prototype that is off-the-grid while on-the-grid. It is a mixed-use development with housing units and public spaces linked together. The tower forms a vertical park, an extension of the proposed waterfront park, situated in Hunters Point, NY. The building supplies its own power, water, and waste management, but it is also integrated into the city’s transportation, food, and culture networks.