There are parts of the world where the weather is far from perfect: rain, snow, sleet, wind, etc. Everywhere though, we should limit our exposure to the sun especially in the middle of the day when UV rays are strongest. A canopy over a sidewalk is a wonderful solution. Covered walkways exist throughout the world, and in New York City a trend has begun to make them very attractive by also landscaping them, a hybrid of the canopy and the green roof evident in one of Compass' new developments Park House Chelsea in West Chelsea New York.
The value of landscaped canopies are many but include:
1. They protect those underneath them from the elements and provide shade and cooling in Summer.
2. They provide an attractive view of landscaping from second floor windows that often don't boast big views.
3. The canopy acts as a privacy buffer for the second floor, thereby elevating its value. Often 2nd floor apartments can reduce the overall averaged value of a building as they lack privacy.
4. The landscaped canopy makes the building more attractive to all those who pass by, a benefit to the neighborhood, neighbors and visitors.
5. As climate shifts, the extremes of rain downpours pose new challenges in cities to engineer water run-off: this canopy absorbs the water and slows down the run-off.
6. They minimize the need for hideous scaffolding used during building facade inspections and restoration work. And protect pedestrians below should something fall from above.
7. All landscaping helps clean polluted air.
The canopy at Park House Chelsea is intelligently landscaped to include a predominance of evergreen vegetation so that the attractive attributes are experienced year-round. More importantly, while this building has generated tons of accolades, it is also inspiring others to copy this feature. We hear many developers are using images of this design element in their storyboards as they design new projects. So what has started as a trickle, may become a trend!
