This beautifully undulating rooftop deck in Greenwich Village looks like a pretty terrific place to spend an afternoon. Surprisingly, its design was inspired by a fairly unremarkable feature of many New York City rooftops. Can you guess what?

Wooden water towers!

The 1,100 square foot deck, created by design research firm GRAFTWORKS, is meant to look as though a water tower split open and unfurled across the roof. The six ribbons of wood span out into six distinct areas and are cleverly shaped to form a canopy, planters, chaise lounges, safety barriers, and benches.

In the middle of the deck, the slatted ribbons flow upwards to form a canopy around an outdoor shower — and form a frame for the Empire State Building.

On the south side of the deck, the ribbons gently curve above rows of planters, while also creating safety barriers. The plants, wood slats, and organic curved shapes provide an airy, gorgeous respite from the city heat — proof once again that inspiration really can come from anywhere.

For more information and additional pictures, visit Architizer.

Images: David Joseph for GRAFTWORKS