The Flowerbox Building

The Flowerbox Building

At a Glance

• The Flowerbox
• 6 STORIES
• Lower Manhattan
• 2009

The Flowerbox Building is a pioneering landscape endeavor, innovative in its use of large-scale planting all the way up a seven-story vertical façade. The street-facing exterior sprouts over 500 plants in 80 different species, housed in modern-industrial planters that echo the architectural character of the building. An already-iconic structure in the heart of New York City’s East Village, the planting allows the residences to burst with life.

For Flowerbox, we blended native and non-native species, emphasizing a balance between textural variety and movement. The planters bear lush, gem-like abundance, with sunlight refracting off the moisture from the watering systems on the oscillating plants to create a glistening effect. For those living within these fresh walls, the flower boxes offer the unique experience of being engulfed in a lively forest of flora, while passersby can enjoy the spectacle of the vertical gardens, like a public-facing aerial park.

Our design was conceived in close partnership with the building’s architect and developer, who grew up on the same block. A personal and professional project for him, the development was an homage to his father, a documentarian who captured the beauty and vibrancy of the block on film in the '70s. Requiring precise technical and creative ingenuity, the gardens gave the building a uniquely recognizable character that contributed to every single unit being under contract within months of entering the market. Resilient and dynamic throughout the seasons and years, the gardens are as fresh and vibrant as they were at their 2007 installation.

An additive yet integrated presence within the neighborhood, the Flowerbox project represents the rich potential of how landscape can live—and how it can contribute to transformational scenes and atmospheres beyond just the confines of its gardens or planters.