Looking for a bit of green in midtown Manhattan this summer? We're happy to say that the second part of Diller Scofidio & Renfro's remodeling of Lincoln Center was recently officially unveiled, and it includes a floating, sloping grass-covered roof atop a new building that will eventually house the Film Society and a high-end restaurant. New York Times' architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff panned the redesign, but he identified the 'Illumination lawn' as a high point. And over the past month, the most important critics of all — sun-seeking New Yorkers — were raving.
After visiting Berlin’s Cultural Forum, I have a newfound appreciation for Lincoln Center. Although it was first meant as an island of culture in an urban jungle, little by little it has claimed its place in the urban grid. Diller Scofidio & Renfro are working within the tight parameters the Lincoln Center often presents to its partners and the public. And in true New York style, the design firm has made a green mountain out of a disjointed molehill. Good job.
[...] It seats 45,000 and tucks away 8,500 parking spaces under the hillside, which will be open as public parkland when there’s no match on. (As grass and trees grow in, it will be a little more appealing [...]