Imagine my surprise the other day when I walked down 86th towards 2nd Avenue and saw this. Could this be more than a trend? Possibly the beginning of something more long-term for our city?
There are a few more shots after the jump, along with a Google Map for anyone who wants to go see.
It is the first outdoor green wall I have seen in NYC with my own eyes. Pure Yoga appears to be owned by Equinox Gym. I have seen the idea on the web and in magazines, but am happy to now have one to observe through the seasons right on my way to work.
It may or may not be successful over the longterm, but it will be very important for future designers to learn from and make the idea more functional and accessible to the rest of us. When I walked by this past week the irrigation system appeared to have sprung a leak and was spattering water on the building front.
Can you see this eventually being refined and trickling down to the individual consumer? Or expanded upon to be a major and economical element in urban building and planning? I would love to have one in my own apartment. Let's wait and see.
Although G-Sky is a major maker of vertical plant wall components, even working with WholeFoods and Starbucks, it's unclear if this is one of their projects. You can see a collection of their works on their website here.
matt at apartment therapy dot com
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My friend lives across the street from this. And she does yoga to help with her multiple sclerosis....
I should mention that I probably met my soul mate on this street, going to her house, but argh, don't know his name. I was going to dinner at her place during the Subway Series and was early. I went to the PetCo up the street, bought my kitties a new scratching post that went better with my decor and a bag of Iams. When I was waiting to cross the street, looking at the light to see when it was going to change, a voice said, "That's a great scratching post." I thought, did I hear that right? was someone talkin' to me? I turned and a guy in a suit and glasses WAS talking to me. He and I walked down 86th, he chattering away about how he'd just adopted 3 kittens. His friend's cat had babies and he wanted two, but when there was one left over, he took that sibling, too. He could do this now because he and his wife broke up, and she never liked cats because she was from Eastern Europe and they saw them as pests (how, when they kill pests--just ask the Egyptians--I don't know). Anyway, when I got to her apt's front door, I should have given him my number, but he was chattering on, and I thought it was rude to interupt. I SHOULD HAVE! How many single straight guys fess up to getting 3 kittens? I should have said I needed to see the little kittens and where did he live, etc. but I was stoopid and polite. If you know a guy like this, lemme know.
i love this idea. but what's the idea behind it? extra oxygen production? lightening the atmosphere of a harsh concrete jungle?
It looks like it could be a Patrick Blanc vertical garden but I don’t think Equinox would shell out for that. It would be cool if they did though…
www.verticalgardenpatrickblanc.com/
looks just like Les Halles in Avignon, France
Beautiful... I can't wait to go check it out.
kaanswfm,
don't fret! I hate to say this, but a recently split from wife man is probably out chatting up many a fine lady with his talk of adopting 3 kittens. Just putting things in perspective out there on hyper busy 86th St.
And conversely, you can replay your walk at exactly the same time or thereabouts, carrying the scratching post like a mating banner/call.
I'm sometimes in the area, since my mom lives there, I'll keep an eye out ;)
BTW, I hear that yoga center is a good one, teaching in the tradition of Iyengar, with some fine teachers. It's hard to believe that Equinox is behind it ...?
Thanks, Olga.
You know, my friends called him "Cat Scratch Guy" and told me to hang out in the area, hoping to see him again.
The funny thing was, about 6-8 months later, I had brunch with her on the weekend at Sarabeth's and after we went to Central Park to look at the spring flowers. We walked around a bit then she went home and I walked downtown, through the park looking at the trees and such in bloom.
I got to about 72nd St and was looking at a drop dead goregeous tree which might have been a weeping cherry. Then three people, two guys and a gal, walking uptown came to the same tree and asked me if I knew what it was. I said no, but the one guy was looking at me and I thought, "why does this guy look familiar??" He had glasses. It took me to about 62nd Street to figure out it was "Cat Scratch Guy" in casual clothes!
Oh well, screwed it up again! I live in So Cal now, so that's the end of that. But it makes a funny true story!
I love walking pass this on my way home and to work... its a great addition to the block.
I work at an architectural firm and just yesterday happened to thumb through a product catalog featuring this product or one like it. It's a trellis system that can be formed into all kinds of shapes for large-scale projects. They apparently also do residential projects.
Green Screen
I love this design, but I wonder how this will look in the winter. Are these plants evergreens? It doesn't look like it. I wonder how they will carry this design into the winter.
Is this near Jerry Seinfeld's Car House?
HA! No, Jerry Seinfeld's car house is next to a yoga studio on 83rd (Columbus and Amst) called Practice Yoga.
Great for the environment.
Sorry, I realized I did not follow through with my promise of the Google Map.
Here you go!
Ok, sorry to rain on the parade here, but *is* this good for the environment? If it was a long-term installment, it would be. But if it's something that has to be replaced annually with chemically fertilized/pesticided plants, it's basically a sideways lawn (or worse). We keep seeing these walls but nothing's ever posted about how they're grown or maintained, or how long they're supposed to last.
Wow so good to be mentioned in such good company...I will be able to clear the air and in fact the project is a Green Living Technologies, Green Living Wall. (www.agreenroof.com) In fact unlike G-Sky or the other plastic system we are the manufacturer and based right here in NY....we are the only US based Green Wall manufacturer available. Since we are the manufacturer we can custom manufacture specific dims and unlike "Others" we also have standard 3", 4" and 6" depths to our green wall panels. Unlike Patrick we are a soil based product that does not require a flow of irrigation 24/7.....In hopes of helping curb curiosity the plants chosen are virtually indestructable, shallow rooted and will do well over the winter period......Like all natural processes of living things there is maintenance involved and at times a plant would require replacment....but for he skeptic this has been a 8 yr. process on what works and what wont...Just recently we finished a project in collaboration with Urban Farming, installing 750 sf of crop walls to help feed the homeless in LA.....Here are some links that will give you a better insight to the project....I wont tie up the comment section feel free to contact us anytime for more information
http://money.cnn.com/video/smallbusiness/#/video/fsb/2008/08/08/fsb.urban.gardens.fsb
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local&id=6302430
http://money.cnn.com/2008/07/14/smallbusiness/giving_back_wall.fsb/index.htm?postversion=2008080809
http://media.www.mustangdaily.net/media/storage/paper860/news/2008/07/31/News/edible.Wall.Provides.Food.For.Poor-3396109.shtml
http://www.buildinggreentv.com/user/green-living-technologies-llc/blog