It's called "The Reach," and it's the new addition to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC -- just opened this past weekend.
The new, inter-connected pavilions, facing the Potomac River, include a lot of translucent glass that turns them into a luminous sculpture at night. And much of the space in them is underground, giving Landscape Architect Edmund Hollander about 52,000 square feet of green roof space and more.
According to Hollander Design, the exterior elements ... "are designed to serve as a living memorial to JFK." These elements include a grove of 35 ginkgo trees, a reflecting pool, and a mahogany deck which is the length of PT 109.
There are also outdoor classrooms, a lawn area where visitors can watch Kennedy Center events, an entry court and dining areas, and a planted bridge that extends over Rock Creek Parkway, connecting the new pavilions to a river walk on the other side of the roadway.
Hollander also designed a sedum wall covering the outside of the building that reads as a carpet. The plants are installed on a variety of surfaces, from almost flat to 100% vertical.
Aside from the sedum, the plant palette is native, along with naturally adaptive species.
More forthcoming in early October ... after a tour with Hollander and his team.
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