Archinect - News

New renderings of Tadao Ando's living wall in Manhattan

2016-06-30T13:27:00-04:00

As luxury condominiums go, 152 Elizabeth Street displays an unusual rigor and finesse: this is not an exercise in overindulgence, but in refined balance.

With its 32,000 square feet split between seven individual residences, Tadao Ando's floor-to-celling windowed, burnished metal, poured-in-place concrete structure also features a 55' x 99' living wall with vegetation that shifts seasonally for the ideal mix of color and texture. English Ivy, Boston Ivy, Virginia Creepers, Jasmine Clematis and climbing Hydrangeas will make up this constantly evolving green wall, a blend that was picked in part by landscape firm M. Paul Friedberg and Partners.

According to a press release, "the building’s design references four primary elements - light, sound, air, and water." Sited in Manhattan's Nolita neighborhood, the design of 152 Elizabeth Street's interiors is a collaboration between Ando and Gabellini Sheppard Associates, the latter of which is serving as the architect of record.

Once likened t...

Singapore Sets a Record For World’s Largest Vertical Garden

2014-06-12T13:44:00-04:00

In land-scarce Singapore greenery too is going sky-ward, with a 24-storey condominium earning a Guinness record for boasting the world’s largest vertical garden. Tree House condominium, completed in 2013 by property firm City Developments Limited, has covered its façade in nearly 2,300 square meters of greenery. [...] The condo uses the plants as natural insulation to help filter pollution, absorb heat and reduce the amount of energy needed to cool individual units.

Vertical Gardens in Mexico a Symbol of Progress

2012-04-10T21:02:00-04:00

“Both L.A. and Mexico City have improved but in Mexico City, the change has been a lot more,” said Luisa Molina, a research scientist with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who has done extensive pollution comparisons. Mexico “is very advanced not just in terms of Latin America, but around the world. When I go to China, they all want to hear the story of Mexico.”