BBG's New Visitor Center About to Open!

Today the Brooklyn Botanic Garden gave a press preview of its new visitor center/entrance at 990 Washington Avenue. The New York Times ran a lengthy piece on the building and the architect’s effort to balance the design with the natural setting of the garden. As they say: “Most of the building remains out of sight, seemingly lost in nature, embedded in a grass-and-tree-covered berm. It’s a move that creates high-contrast oppositions between growing and built, and that also defends the garden against the asphalt and masonry of its neighbor.” The “living roof,” which is landscaped with grasses, perennials, and bulbs, will be used for storm water management and is expected to harvest almost 200,000 gallons of water each year. The visitor center is also energy efficient, LEED Gold certified, and surrounded by a newly-planted garden with water-capturing beds. Inside, there’s event and exhibit space. Gothamist published more pics today. Pretty stunning. It will be open to the public next Wednesday.
At Garden’s Visitor Center, a Welcome Transparency [NY Times]
Photo by Elizabeth Ennis via BBG