Entrance threshold from the street.
Site overview during construction.
The winding boardwalk.
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The
project creates public access to
a 1.7 acre natural area within
the boundary of the Brooklyn
Navy Yard, at
the grounds of a former cemetery.
The Brooklyn Naval Hospital Cemetery
was active from 1831 to 1910 and was
the burial site for more than 2,000
people, primarily officers and
enlisted men. The Navy relocated the
remains to Cypress Hills National
Cemetery in 1926. The site is
rethought as an open space along the
length of the Brooklyn Greenway
featuring a wildflower meadow and
sacred grove, framed by an undulating
boardwalk and lifted above the
hallowed ground.
An
entrance gateway and attendant’s
station acts as the threshold
between the landscape and the
street. The raised
walking path provides
access around the
perimeter of the site and
its large central
meadow. Two small
seating areas for
education and reflection
are placed at opposite
sides of the site.
The plantings of the
meadow focus on
establishing native plant
fodder for the pollinators
critical to ecological
health of the region,
including butterflies,
honey bees, and other
insects. Plants are
selected for low height to
retain visibility, vibrant
color display during warm
seasons and interesting
seed pods or stem textures
for winter interest.
Because
of the sensitive condition of the
grounds, all structures are designed
and engineered with minimal impact
upon the landscape. A series of steps
and an accessible ramp lead up to the
level of a gateway and raised, wooden
walkway. The walkway does not
use heavy footings or
foundations. Instead, an array
small, precast concrete piers is set
onto the ground surface and secured
with steel pins driven into the earth.
The surfaces
of the walkway
and entrance
gateway are
constructed
with black
locust wood.
Scott
Demel acted as director for the Naval
Cemetery project at Marvel Architects,
guiding the project through execution
of the design construction.
Landscape architecture by Nelson
Byrd Woltz.
Awards
American
Society of Landscape Architects -
New York, Merit Award, 2017
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