Scholar’s Garden, New York, NY

Scholars Garden

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Hidden below Park Avenue’s residential high-rise buildings, the Scholar’s Garden merges a traditional eastern culture with a conventional western one. Both organic and artificial plants frame the courtyard to create a fluid movement of space from the ground floor to the elevated deck.

The ground floor features an eight-foot tall scholar rock, an irregular form that is traditionally associated with reflection and spirituality. To compliment the introspective nature of the rock and open the space, a mirrored glass sculpture, by artist Vicky Colombet, sits adjacent to the centerpiece. The second floor features a small sitting terrace and elevated plantings that screen the surrounding buildings from view.

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It was important to separate the courtyard from the surrounding buildings in order to create an intimate and self-contained environment. Sculpted rock formations and delicate pine trees were set against the elevated birch forest backdrop to create a view reminiscent of a Chinese landscape painting.

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