Queens Botanical Garden Visitor Center and Administration Building

The LEED Platinum-certified Administration Center is a built extension of the Garden’s mission: to demonstrate environmental stewardship while celebrating the cultural connections between people and plants. From the inception of the project, principles of sustainability led the design process and it was the first public building to achieve LEED Platinum in New York State.  The Center is composed of three interconnected spaces: a large welcoming forecourt and roof canopy, a central reception and administration building, and an auditorium space tucked into the landscape itself, sheltered by a sloping planted green roof.

The building is organized around a visible water management system, which grew out of community workshops that identified a shared connection to water among the ethnically diverse community in Queens. The building blurs the boundary between architecture and landscape, and acts as an experiential teaching tool that showcases principles of sustainability.