Will cities of the future have parks built into buildings
Imagine this: You live in 50-story apartment complex and right in the middle of the building is an open space filled with outdoor park furniture, grass, flowers, fountains and a band shell.
Essentially, it's a building with a park built inside of it. Maybe even three or four parks every several floors. Strange, right?
Well, maybe not for long. This could be the next hot new trend in architecture as one such building is planned for New York City and is expected to be finished in 2017.
The apartment building will be built at 12 E. 37th Street and will reach 700 feet in height. The "parks" or common areas will be 33-foot high "pockets" built intermittently between a set number of floors. From drawings, these spaces appear to be have open views of the city along with shrubbery, furniture and even an outdoor big screen TV.
People are calling them "apartment parks."
Technically, are these actually parks? Are we looking at the beginning of a trend where parks in the future will all be built inside apartment buildings? Could this spell the end of the traditional park?
Certainly food for thought. How about some pros and cons?
Pros of apartment parks
First of all, no city can ever have enough parks. There is always that ongoing battle of concrete versus grass. We get it. Land in major cities is outrageously expensive. Land in smaller towns and cities is becoming increasingly more expensive. Usually the properties that are available are on the outskirts of town and not exactly accessible to most city residents. New York City even built a park on an abandoned elevated train line 30 feet above the street (High Line Park).
From that perspective, apartment parks are a cool concept. In essence, builders are bringing parks to the people. They could include many of the same amenities as a park - fresh air, the smell of flowers and plants, outdoor park furniture such as benches for relaxing and picnic tables for alfresco dining.
Another great benefit is that these parks are not on the other side of town, but just an elevator ride away. So, considering their proximity to residences, they are more likely to be used.
Security is obviously a big plus as well. A park like this in a secure building can be virtually used around the clock.
It's also a great way to meet and congregate with other residents of the building. Ironically, it's amazing how lonely it can be for people in a city. How often in a place like NYC do people get to meet their neighbors? A person might get to know their neighbors on their floor, but what about the neighbors on the second floor or the thirty-first floor? Not likely. But with apartment parks, very likely.
Cons of apartment parks
Okay, time to bring the concept back to earth. What are the disadvantages of parks built into apartment buildings? Well for one, instead of a great big blue sky over your head, there's a ceiling. Go ahead, paint it blue. Doesn't matter.
There is no better live show on the planet than the one that is produced every second in the sky. The longest running big screen show on earth - a gigantic mix of sunshine, colors, clouds, rain, snow, sunsets, stars and a big old moon. A park is not only about what's surrounds you on the ground, it's also all about what's over your head.
Next comes the foliage - grass, trees, shrubs, etc. Trees are not meant to grow inside apartment buildings. They are a magical connection between the ground below and the sky above. Roots from the dirt below stretch up through a covering of bark to a gigantic umbrella of branches and leaves overhead. Every tree is a unique, living sculpture created by Mother Nature. Same can be said for most of the other plants as well.
To provide all those plants, you need space. And that's what's so great about most parks - they have space. Plenty of open areas. Space to jog around, toss a Frisbee in or where your dog can chase a tennis ball. Kick a soccer ball to a friend in an apartment park and it could end up flying hundreds of feet into the air and bouncing off the head of some unsuspecting pedestrian below.
Then there are the outdoor park furnishings - the park benches, picnic tables, bike racks, water fountains, charcoal grills, outdoor fitness equipment, etc. These amenities are like treats to park visitors - a chance to enjoy someone else's furniture - for free. Sit down and read a book. Cook a big lunch for family and friends. Ride your bike there and lock it up.
Finally, what's so great about that sunshine and those trees and those outdoor park furnishings is that it gives city residents a chance to mingle with other city residents. Join a softball team and play in the park. Ditto with Frisbees. Join a bike club that starts their weekend rides at the park. Or jog the same route every day and congregate with fellow joggers.
Finally, what better way to meet someone new then to start up a conversation on a park bench? (Note: that was the concept behind Steve Buscemi's avant-garde talk show for AOL, where people would just meet and chat on a bench).
Adding a park to an apartment building? Sure. Who wouldn't love that? But in the future, will this be where all the parks are located? Not so sure about that.
To read the Bloomberg Business article about this new concept in apartment buildings, go here.
To find outdoor park furniture for down-to-earth parks and open spaces, visit The Park Catalog here.