Brooklyn Children’s Museum – Rooftop Terrace « Landscape Architecture Platform

Our Design Approach for one of the world’s first Children’s Museums was simple – a natural landscape that rewards the curiosity of a child’s eyes and hands. In coordination with an innovative rooftop pavilion by acclaimed architect Toshiko Mori and engineers ARUP, we developed a 20,000-square foot rooftop plaza surrounded by architect Raphael Vinoly’s vibrant yellow building facade.

Movable furnishings within the plaza are complemented by anchor features for thoughtfully programmed public spaces: The Native Woodland for exploration and learning; The Green for free play; The Lounge, for picnics and relaxing parents. The design needed to meet both the needs of the museum and the surrounding community, accommodating events from school groups and children’s performances to large weekend weddings.

Planting is introduced as an interactive tool, combining colors, textures, and leaf types to engage a child’s perspective. Small groves of trees have been carefully located to provide thermal comfort in the most exposed areas. The intentional use of native plants and other surrounding elements creates a natural oasis nestled within the city landscape.