Landscape Architect Articles

Celestial Garden04-01-04 | News

Celestial Garden

Lights the Way for Exploration

By Sean Stowell, regional editor

Floodlights situated across from the Center light the ginkgo trees in front of the reflecting pool. Spanning the pool just in front of the sphere is a light column custom made to spill light on the exit path that leads to either side of the structure. PHOTO COURTESEY D. FINNIN/AMNH

?EUR??,,????'??The addition of a one-acre public space in the middle of New York City is a major occurrence itself?EUR??,,????'??–Ellen Futter, museum president

With a space probe now on Mars we are learning more and more about our vast universe, and the quest for knowledge about its mysteries continues to grow. More than three years before any Rover sent pictures of the ?EUR??,,????'??Red Planet?EUR??,,????'?? back home, the American Museum of Natural History in New York City opened the Arthur Ross Terrace that links to the Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space, presenting to the public the evolution of stars, galaxies and planets.

The Ross Terrace is a 47,114-square-foot public outdoor space designed by Kathryn Gustafson with landscape architects Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture and Polshek Partnership Architects, LLP.

The water jets and fiber optic lights by Fiberstars are controlled on a revolving computer program that allows each jet to be run independently to a height of up to 10 feet. PHOTOS COURTESEY D. Nicole Beattie-Vallespir

Gustafson conceived the design for the Terrace after seeing an illustration of shadows cast by a lunar eclipse. The resulting design includes wedge shaped ?EUR??,,????'??shadows?EUR??,,????'?? of stone that appear to be cast onto the plaza by the great Hayden Sphere within the Rose Center, evoking a lunar eclipse and echoing the visions of space as seen in the sphere.

?EUR??,,????'??The addition of a one-acre public space in the middle of New York City is a major occurrence itself,?EUR??,,????'?? said museum president Ellen V. Futter. ?EUR??,,????'??The addition of one as spectacular as the Arthur Ross Terrace is like discovering a hospitable new planet amidst the vastness of the universe.?EUR??,,????'??

The Galleria Exhibit Building is set atop a level plinth of boxwood. Due to a sloped planting bed, foliage of different heights were used to make the bed appear level. The lighted bollard shown on the planter is a cast aluminum Sterner/7Pdo415.

The Rose Center is a seven story glass cube enclosing the sphere and has quickly become a New York landmark. The Space Theater in the sphere allows visitors to see a realistic representation of the night sky and to take a virtual journey through the universe.

The design team of Charles Stone II, Henry Forrest, Alicia Kapheim and Matthew Toomajian from Fisher Marantz Stone, Inc., lighted the sphere from above and below with blue florescent lights projecting through machine-made fog. Louvres carefully situated to minimize glare are programmed in a rolling sequence that makes the sphere appear to slowly rotate. Red spotlights concealed in the ceiling accent the planets surrounding the sphere.

A Bega 8101MH light pole was specially designed to cast light back onto the terrace and away from neighboring apartments. PHOTOS COURTESEY D. Nicole Beattie-Vallespir

Six years in the making, the Rose Center is the most ambitious endeavor in the 135-year history of the museum. New York state, the city of New York, office of the mayor, speaker and the council of the city of New York, and the office of the Manhattan borough president provided public support for the center. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provided significant educational and programming support.

The Terrace is a multi-purpose urban plaza constructed over a new perking garage that welcomes the public and visitors to the museum. It links the historic, traditional appearance and function of the American Museum of Natural History with the modern design of the Rose Center.

Six years in the making, the Rose Center is the most ambitious endeavor in the 135-year history of the museum. New York state, the city of New York, office of the mayor, speaker and the council of New York City, and the office of the Manhattan borough president provided public support for the center. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration provided significant educational and programming support.

?EUR??,,????'??Because it is a rooftop, it?EUR??,,????'???s also an egress from the main building,?EUR??,,????'?? Charles Anderson of Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture told LASN. ?EUR??,,????'??We had security lights up there; so if the rest of the lights in the building went off, there would be a path over the terrace to the street. The challenge was using fewer fixtures to make the site less complex.?EUR??,,????'??

The solution for this exit path was light columns below the sphere.

The Central Plaza

A wedge dark stone draws visitors to the center of the terrace with the glimmer of water jets, fiber optic lights, provided by Fremont, Calif.-based Fiberstars, in blue, green and purple, along with hundreds of tiny mirrors set in stone, reflect the changing sky above and create the appearance of scintillation of stars. These lights are arranged in the well-known pattern of the Orion constellation.

Fine ?EUR??,,????'??meteor trails,?EUR??,,????'?? subtly etched in stone, create small rills of water that flow from the water jets to a reflecting pool at the base of the glass curtain wall of the Rose Center. The entire central ?EUR??,,????'??shadow?EUR??,,????'?? panel can be flooded with a thin wash of water that originates near the upper reaches of the Terrace, and flows toward the reflecting pool at the base of the Rose Center. So detailed was the design, that Anderson compared it to ?EUR??,,????'??making a watch.?EUR??,,????'??

The sphere is lit from above and below with blue florescent lights projecting through a machine-made fog. Louvres carefully situated to minimize glare are programmed in a rolling sequence that makes the sphere appear to slowly rotate.

Anderson said the biggest challenge of the project was integrating the fiber optics with the water.

?EUR??,,????'??Lighting is digital and water is analog, so we had to get a custom program written so they could work together,?EUR??,,????'?? he explained. ?EUR??,,????'??The lights are in the pattern of Orion. They twinkle with slight changes in color. We wanted subtle changes so it didn?EUR??,,????'???t look like Disneyland.?EUR??,,????'??

Choreographic scores like ?EUR??,,????'??Jubilation,?EUR??,,????'?? ?EUR??,,????'??Eclipse,?EUR??,,????'?? and others were written into a program that combines the analog languages of water hydraulics with the digital language of light.

The Promenade

Pagoda trees form a double row along the northern edge of the plaza. These arching, fine-textured trees will eventually form a canopy of filtered light and fragrant seasonal bloom, leading visitors from the entry stairs in the Theodore Roosevelt Park into the Rose Center. Along the double row of pagoda trees, visitors will find a series of stopping spots for viewing the landscape beyond the edge of the terrace. These repetitive ?EUR??,,????'??nooks?EUR??,,????'?? are furnished with a staggered line of large, simple benches. These nooks and benches will accommodate small school groups or tour parties for lessons and discussions.

The design was conceived after an illustration of shadows cast by a lunar eclipse. The resulting design includes wedge shaped ?EUR??,,????'??shadows?EUR??,,????'?? of stone that appear to be cast onto the plaza by the great Hayden Sphere within the Rose Center, evoking a lunar eclipse and echoing the visions of space as seen in the sphere. PHOTOS COURTESEY D. FINNIN/AMNH

vLights fixtures that cast light back on the facility dot the edge of the terrace. Neighbors in nearby apartments had expressed concern over light from the terrace shining into their windows, so Anderson specified a fixture that cast the light back onto the terrace area and away from the adjacent apartments.

Entry Stairs

As visitors ascend the steps from Theodore Roosevelt Park to the space-themed Terrace, stairway planters offer mountain laurel called ?EUR??,,????'??Olympic Fire.?EUR??,,????'?? Native shrubs such as inkberry and Franklinia flank the laurel. Traditional perennials and groundcovers include Christmas fern, violet and bellflower to complement the historic brick of the adjacent building and the native plant collection in the park below.

Museum Entry Area

The simple terrace of stone at the entry to the new public space is the western destination of the central ?EUR??,,????'??shadow.?EUR??,,????'?? It is separated from the rest of the plaza with a line of white granite seating steps. This area is planted with a group of ginkgo trees. The ginkgo is the only surviving species of a family of trees that originated during earth?EUR??,,????'???s carboniferous period, some 300 million years ago. As these trees mature into a shady grove, the boughs of brightly colored ?EUR??,,????'??fossil leaves?EUR??,,????'?? will frame the view of the Rose Center on the other side of the plaza. In the fall, the bright green leaves of the trees will transform into a glowing clear ?EUR??,,????'??solar?EUR??,,????'?? yellow. Moveable caf????(C) tables and chairs on the upper terrace provide flexible social opportunities.

The darkest central ?EUR??,,????'??shadow,?EUR??,,????'?? a wedge of dark granite, shows playful glimmers of water jets and fiber optic lights. The lights are arranged to simulate the Orion constellation. ?EUR??,,????'??Meteor trails?EUR??,,????'?? are subtly etched into the stone creating small rills of water that flow from the water jets to a reflection pool. During special events, the entire central ?EUR??,,????'??shadow?EUR??,,????'?? panel floods with a thin splash of water. PHOTO COURTESEY D. Nicole Beattie-Vallespir

Anderson said the ginkgos are lit from a building across from the trees with floodlights.

The ?EUR??,,????'??Mist?EUR??,,????'?? Planting

In the spring, along the wall at the northern edge of the terrace, the dramatic white bloom of densely planted native beach plum will create two lines of white ?EUR??,,????'??mist.?EUR??,,????'?? The ?EUR??,,????'??mist?EUR??,,????'?? will have at its base a ?EUR??,,????'??sky?EUR??,,????'?? collection of blue flowering perennials like Milky Way epimedium and blue wonder nepeta.

?EUR??,,????'??The Arthur Ross Terrace is in effect an additional outdoor permanent hall at the museum,?EUR??,,????'?? Futter said. ?EUR??,,????'??Visitors can socialize, enjoy the wind, the sun, and the stars, and have a chance to reflect upon our place in the wonders of nature.?EUR??,,????'??

This project won a 2003 American Society of Landscape Architects Design Merit award.

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About the Landscape Architects

Kathryn Gustafson: Born in Yakima, Washington, Gustafson received her diploma in landscape architecture from the Ecole Nationale Superieure du Paysage in Versailles, France in 1979. Her work has been predominantly civic, institutional, and corporate, including parks, gardens, and community spaces.
Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture: Based in Seattle, the firm has designed many public spaces including the Coldwater Ridge Visitor Center at Mount St. Helens Volcanic Monument, the Seattle Art Museum Olympic Sculpture Garden and has worked with Gustafson on South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif.