Recently, the architectural firm TARQUITECTOS announced its vision for Green Carceri, an extension of the High Line that would expand the amount of usable space. The plan for the mixed use structure includes a botanical research center, library, meeting rooms, residential area, and urban farms. Most activity takes place in vertical communication cores that are connected by winding linear ramps, as seen in the above image. The ramps contain greenhouses to be used as neighborhood farms, as well as provide places professionals and locals can meet and gather.

Green Carceri both expands the range of uses for the High Line and introduces sustainable design features. Green roofs will improve insulation while also collecting rainwater that will then be used to water plants and cool mechanical systems. The building’s shape allows for cross ventilation to cool the building during the summer. But perhaps the most innovative and visually intriguing aspect is coverage of the façade with “brise soleil”, a sun-shading technique that blocks direct high-angle sun and prevents overheating of the building in the summer while still allowing low-angle sun to provide some passive heating in winter. The shades are painted with Thermochromic paint that changes color based on temperature and allows the building to auto-regulate the radiation it receives by changing color. The structure will be energy efficient through use of a variety of techniques, including Magenn power’s balloon generators, Humdinger’s cables as facades, and solar panels.

The development of the High Line changed the way New Yorkers think about the use of public spaces. Green Carceri will take that process one step further with its use of innovative design and new sustainable technologies.

Photo: Archdaily