New York, NY
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
ASLA Honor Award
Teardrop Park, within a residential building cluster, is part of the ongoing construction of Battery Park City in Manhattan. Pine & Swallow designed and specified nine manufactured soil blends to meet stringent and complex geotechnical and horticultural demands. Pine & Swallow also designed subsurface drainage and a wetland system. Pine & Swallow worked with local soil suppliers to find appropriate soil resources and provided construction observation for the complex soil construction. Sustainable initiatives include reusing gray water from surrounding buildings for irrigation as well as sustainable construction materials. The plantings are designed to thrive in a relatively shady site and provide habitat for native and migratory birds. The soils are designed to support plant life without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides.