Future Green Studio

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Rockefeller Center Channel Gardens

Manhattan, NY

Design

Rockefeller Center Channel Gardens is situated between New York’s iconic St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the ice rink at 30 Rock— making it an epi-center of tourism in the city—but also a special asset every day for residents and office workers alike. The Gardens traditionally host a series of temporary displays that highlight botanical themes, and have done so since its construction in the 1930s. This year, the seasonal installations celebrate the flora and physical environments of New York— from ferny woodlands to the back dunes of the beach—as rich in diversity as New Yorkers. Project collaborator, New York Botanical Garden, has contributed a narrative layer of plants “lost” in the wild for each of our seasons. Future Green adopted these “lost” plants of NYC into a robust and dynamic planting design intended to evoke the regional landscapes of New York with a specific focus on increasing biodiversity and pollinator plants. People are invited to experience and gather in the garden in different ways each season, through varied furniture elements and lighting. The interventions offer new perspectives of the renowned space, both conceptually and physically, offering unique environments to live and play in. All featured images are from the summer installation of 2019.

© K. Taro Hashimura