Located at the entrance Building 128 of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, The Enclosed Forest re-imagines the atrium of a manufacturing headquarters as an immersive botanical experience. In collaboration with architects MNDPC, and client Crye Precision, VERDANT designed and oversaw construction of an oasis of green within a bustling work environment.

In 2017 Crye Precision, manufacturer of premiere military clothing, signed a 20 year lease of a restored ship-building hangar in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Crye sought to create a landscape feature within the space that would inspire its workforce in tandem with the rehabilitated post-industrial space.

Inspired by the characteristics of Northeastern forests, the design re-interprets the experience of wandering through those outdoor spaces – variable topography, cascading light, and diverse leaf forms– and adapts it to Crye’s industrial workspace.  Upon entering the building, the visitor is given the option of meandering through a series of interconnecting gravel paths within the forest, or proceeding alongside it. 

Concrete blocks, previously used as ship ballast, were recovered from the Navy yard and incorporated into the landscape for seating. Boulders were hand selected in western Massachusetts, and installed through the building’s main bi-fold door with heavy machinery.

A broad range of perennial and tropical ferns make up the planting palette of the forest floor. Tropical trees, up to 25’ tall, were selected for their ability to thrive in the interior space, as well as for the interplay of their leaf form. Due to the limited natural light in the space, we introduced LED light fixtures, hung evenly above the atrium, and we worked with a commercial light fixture manufacturer to customize output and define the ideal wavelength spectrum for the plants’ required growing conditions.

Moss is now propagating on the boulders throughout the space. Temporal water pools, which fill and evaporate, mark the passing of time.

As the landscape matures, plants migrate across the mounds and concrete block seating, occupying areas where soil was previously bare. Seedlings have taken root. Dynamism permeates the atrium space, evoking both a sense of wonder and tranquility.