American Museum of Natural History Competition, New York City

Related person

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (landscape architect)

Description

"The design for the American Museum of Natural History courtyard is a response to the pure forms and ideas of the Rose Center at the Hayden Planetarium that it neighbors. The landscape evokes the robust irregularity of nature reacting to the ideal architectural shapes of the sphere and cube. The courtyard space is formed as stone slabs break away from a normalized grid and transition into an attenuated form inspired by plate tectonics. The grid of stone slabs forms the terrace and tree lined amphitheater that splay into the pool as an irregular stone slab terrace. The irregular pool edge is planted with wetland grasses."-- michael van valkenburgh associates, incorporated Keywords: United States, New York, Kings County, Manhattan, competition entry, exhibition structures, buildings, exterior building spaces, courtyard, seating, models. This image was presented at a lecture by Michael Van Vaulkenburgh for LARCH 760.

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