Site Analysis + Design [Ronald Woudstra and Laura Casas]

The unbounded site analysis included aerial views of the Bowery Mission's rooftop, as seen from four different directions (N,S,E,W). This way of looking at the rooftop from multiple perspectives has nurtured the idea that the rooftop is at once deeply hidden in the forest of hi-rises that surround it, yet highly exposed to the public (in part due to the nearby New Museum). The Bowery Mission has the potential to become a refuge for its residents, offering them a feeling of seclusion and a place to relax, tucked away in a corner of the city.


Whilst the rooftop is hidden in the landscape of hi-rises (and yet highly visible from these hi-rises), the bounded site analysis has revealed that the roof draws in the city by means of its views of it. Visually, once feels integrated with the city when on the roof.


From the bounded site analysis, it has also become clear that the site on Bowery has vast differences in elevation amongst its five components. The analysis has also revealed that the design needs to take into account the sunlight situation, which is rather constraining at the Bowery rooftop.


Laura's initial design offered several undulating planting beds, which took the sunlight situation into account. Other strong features of Laura's design include spiraling stairways, freight lifts, and the 6' walkways which are required by building codes for access for firefighters.


Ronald's initial design featured a large water catchment area on the highest roof, framed by elevated paths and planting beds. This catchment area collects water and channels it towards the edge of the highest roof, from where it cascades down onto the roof below it. There, the water will be catched in a pool. Framing the pool is a wooden deck, which provides a seating area for the residents where they can enjoy the water spectacle, which also drowns out any noise coming from the city. A pump serves to bring the water back up to the higher roof, creating a situation where the water always keeps on moving, thus avoiding a static water surface which attracts flies and has other undesireable effects.


The ideas of both designers were combined into a final design, which retained the strong features of both designs.

Site Analysis by Nadine and Annie

Our primary goal was to create a sense of home on the Mission Roof. As we reassess the space and the challenges that it presents our initial design will change. We are also going to look at the history of agriculture in the area and try to integrate that into our plans. For the companion garden we focused on the Bushwick site because of its accessibility to the Mission. If residents can easily access the site by bicycle or train then it can be used for more intensive production and training.

Roof on a Mission (Tara, Renee, Jina) Site Analysis

the big picture concept







other diagrams

Bounded Site Analysis by Ana Fisyak

A Collection of Contexts


Water Story

Bounded Site Analysis - Lacey Tauber

This concept focuses on the main roof at the Bowery Mission as an educational/demonstration space. The main idea is to maximize the most viable space (the space that gets the most sunlight) by placing the demonstration gardens there, and maximizing vertical space through the use of planted trellises and walls. The shady (and therefore less ideal) areas retain active uses such as composting and rainwater retention. This site will compliment the Sunset Park roof, which can be used to maximize production for the purpose of producing salsa. The salsa idea appeals to me for its potential for year-round job training programs. I imagined a connection between the two sites using bio-diesel vans, which could run on oil collected at the Mission and/or nearby restaurants at little to no cost.

sketch of bldg interior: jina

sun study sketch: jina

Site Analysis + Concept: Feed Thy Neighbor (Alicia and Amber)

The core concept to our site analysis and seed for future design is Feed Thy Neighbor: Tapping into the importance of neighborliness, job development and commercial food production, Feed Thy Neighbor, will provide job training for growing, cultivating and cooking fresh produce simultaneously building relationships with surrounding food sellers and producers. A sense of interconnectedness between neighbors will emerge through the sharing of food. Whole Foods, The New Museum Cafe and Freeman's Tavern, will are potential buying partners for Bowery Mission greens, herbs, other produce and potentially larger scale salsa production!

The site analysis consists of a) unbound analysis and b) site-bound analysis

The unbound diagram looks at the existing relationships between people, loci of food production and consumption and the spatial relationship between neighbors (visibility, distribution distance). The accompanying diagram looks at sustainable sourcing from the client-side: currently fresh produce is sourced at both an unsustainable cost and distance. The potential companion farm may alleviate this constraint.

The site-bound diagram series assesses the challenges and opportunities of the site under three lenses: connectivity and movement; water collection and irrigation; seasonal shading sites and potential vegetation.

And what already exists is more than just the physical attributes of terrain…but includes also the various hidden forces that underlie the workings of a given place. These include natural processes. such as wind and sun; historical events and local stories; economic and legislative conditions; even political interests, regulatory mechanisms and programmatic structures. Through rendering visible multiple and sometimes disparate field conditions, mapping allows for an understanding of terrain as only the surface expression of a complex and dynamic imbroglio of social and natural processes. In visualizing these interrelationships and interactions, mapping itself participates in future unfoldings.

“the agency of mapping” james corner in mapping