“Solar Carve demonstrates how contemporary commercial buildings can be good neighbors and enhance dense urban conditions through meaningful consideration of their users and context,” writes The Plan in their awards announcement online.
“Solar Carve’s project site is strongly defined by its adjacency to the repurposed High Line, which extends diagonally across the easternmost portion of the site. The site was the last undeveloped parcel surrounding the Washington Grasslands, one of the High Line’s lushly planted and distinctive gardens. New York City zoning regulations make no provisions to protect midblock public spaces like the High Line, and Solar Carve’s ambitious design necessitated close collaboration with the New York Board of Standards and Appeals. The scheme required approval for a variance to invert the light and air setback from the street side to the High Line side, allowing the building mass to be shifted to the west. Daylight modeling demonstrated that, when compared to an as-of-right scheme, Solar Carve’s shape and position will nearly triple the annual hours of direct sunlight for the park.”