Statue of Liberty Museum
Seamless integration of building and landscape was a principal focus for QRP in our work on the Statue of Liberty Museum. Minimizing visual competition with the Statue itself, the design allows the museum entrance, grand stairway and overlook to emerge through a native meadow backdrop evocative of the American landscape. The LEED Gold project includes a 20,000 square foot green roof planted with native grasses and perennials selected for salt tolerance. Where the building meshes with the surrounding landscape, a series of bioswales and a bioretention basin receive runoff from impermeable surfaces, virtually eliminating outflow from the site. Once established, most of the plantings require no irrigation; those portions that will be irrigated utilize a water-efficient drip system.
Constructed on a part of Liberty Island that sustained considerable damage from Hurricane Sandy, the project also introduces native tree species including oaks, birches, and Black Tupelo to reestablish the island canopy. At the project’s interface with the island’s formal mall, linear tree plantings and hedges were restored to preserve historical integrity and to provide a “frame” for the museum’s treatment.
To insure healthy growth of roof meadow areas, an 8″ layer of soil was provided over the structure, with a special anchoring net system designed to withstand the scouring effect of New York Harbor winds. Where the planted roof is especially steep, a sub-surface waffle system is anchored to the building structure, preventing soil erosion and facilitating establishment of meadow plantings. QRP was part of a multi-disciplinary project team led by architects FXCollaborative.
Location
Liberty Island, NY
Client
The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc., National Park Service
Role
Lead Landscape Architect
Team
FX Collaborative Architects
Langan Engineers
Northern Designs
Photography credit: Barrett Doherty
Renderings courtesy FXCollaborative
