Backyard Brooklyn

Every building typology has associated open spaces. We find the Brooklyn brownstone rear yard to be a particular enchantment, especially as it merges with neighbors to create a collective secret garden. We approach commissions as opportunities to create thresholds between house and garden that benefit both. At Bergen Street , a bedroom balcony hangs above the garden from a two-story steel frame. The balcony is also the roof of an enclosed porch that extends the interior kitchen to garden. At 16th Street, the addition is a grounded horizontal box, crafted in response to the homeowners’ love of gardening and Japanese art . The house location at the site‘s low point allowed us to align the window sill with exterior grade and the dining table simultaneously, immersing diners in the garden. Operable skylights, fans, masonry walls, and stone floor keep the room cool in summer without require air-conditioning.