Living in themiddle of a dense, bustling, city environment can often leave people feeling out of touch with nature, especially when busy schedules don’t often allow time to travel out into the wild.
And the concrete jungle might look a little bleak without a pop of green life here and there, too.
Aiming to ease these aspects of urban life is the new Flatiron House, a project planned for 39 West 23rd Street, Manhattan. This residential development aims to provide its occupants a full-blown garden in their homes, almost as if they were in a house with its own front lawn.
Designed by Anbau Developmentand COOKFOX Architects, the project consists of two buildings—the Tower and the Loft—with residential floor plans ranging from one to five bedrooms. 6sqft reports that these are priced between US$1.98 million and $13 million.
Most of theseunits come with the garden set up in a loggia, which is a room more akin to a sheltered porch. They’re often incorporated in gardens, making them a suitable choice.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about these gardens is that they’re self-irrigating, promising low maintenance for busy residents. Even with a little bit of effort, they’ll get to enjoy some gorgeous greenery blooming through the balcony’s latticework.
These were designed by Future Green Studio, a firm based in Brooklyn. A spokesperson for the project tells 6sqft that the balcony gardens will grow plants like periwinkle, thyme, oregano, lavender, alpine strawberries, and lowbush blueberries.
The plants were chosen “based on a Mediterranean approach to be edible, fragrant and open to regular sun exposure,” they detail.
“The majority of our buildings, people really live in them,” James Treacy, Anbau’s director of development, states to Robb Report. “They find the spaces we develop are conducive to family living and being present in the city.”