ETSY HEADQUARTERS – Brooklyn, New York City
Etsy is an online marketplace that underwent a period of significant expansion in 2015. This required them to relocate their headquarters in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn to a much larger and vacant building just down the road. They had the opportunity to make this a green build so they stipulated the design of both architecture and landscape had to abide by the principles of the Living Building Challenge. Working with Gensler, our office was tasked with helping create three terrace gardens, each with a very different microclimate, ranging from full sun to full shade and from sheltered to full exposure to the elements.
Office: RGR Landscape
Status: Completed
Project Management & Construction Administration: Sid Burke
Design Proposals, Hardscape Details & Construction Administration: John Merritt
Construction Drawings: John Merritt, Matt Yoder, Carrie Eastman, Wan-Li Fang
Landscape Contractor: Steven Dubner Landscaping
5th Floor Terrace North
Although the space here seemed spacious when empty, after we complied with the roof assembly code regarding maximum occupiable square footage, we were left with tight quarters. The architects wanted to create a sense of separation in a space like this using level changes. The deck at the top of the ramp would serve as a meeting area for small groups. Since the surrounding environment is a vast wonder of squares and rectangles, the design team opted to twist the geometry of the garden, orienting the grain on an oblique angle, in the hope of breaking free from the surrounding grid.
5th Floor Terrace South
This terrace, basically a balcony, no doubt will be popular with the smokers. It faces South so providing shade was a major concern. We worked with the architects to create a series of pergolas-- only two of which were built -- to address this concern.
9th Floor Terrace
This terrace is the main event. It is, by far, the largest of the three and touts an arresting view of Manhattan. This definitely is the place for the office Christmas party. The terrace is equipped with a bar, picnic benches, and a considerably-sized solar panel array. Per the 5th floor North terrace, we again had to be mindful of the rooftop assembly code and we again applied the geometric twist to mitigate the orthogonality.
During the design process, the rooftop terrace was also the largest playground for ideas. I show a select series of concepts here formalized into measured drawings, the first three of which hit the cutting room floor. The final colored illustrative depicts the scheme that was constructed.
