'park erratica' is a small but mighty green space in the middle of NYC

over on west 20th street in new york, just below the highline, maziar behrooz architecture has installed some street furniture with a difference. entitled ‘park erratica’, the urban intervention foregoes the more mundane wooden bench and is instead comprised of an assortment of large stone boulders, placed on the street to create a small but mighty natural park (or ‘parklet’) in the middle of the city.

the boulders serve as a functional seat and provide protection from passing cars

the boulders were chosen by maziar behrooz architects both as a nod to ‘7000 oaks’ — the joseph beuys installation just a few blocks north — and as a robust and durable boundary between the pedestrian sidewalk and the busy traffic of the street. the boulders were selected for their particular shapes — different forms capable of accommodating the various functional needs of the pedestrian: sitting, leaning, climbing, even practicing yoga (the boulders sit directly outside a yoga studio). the boundaries of the park are outlined using a white resin matt, on top of which the boulders are strategically placed. this outlines the installation as a liminal space of rest, somewhere in between the crowded pavement and bustling street. made from 18 tonnes of alcove bluestone, the parklet follows its roots back to the bed-rock of manhattan and hopes to transport visitors to an older, pre-historic version of the city’s streets.

plants are added to create shade and provide a visual screen

each boulder is cut to delineate the boundary of the rectangular space; highlighting the contrast between the natural formation of the rocks and man-made interventions. in a regular pattern, holes are drilled into the sawn edges. these holes are used to install horizontal planters that house a selection of grasses and plants, fleshing out the mini-sanctuary and making it that bit easier to remove yourself from the stress of the city, however briefly.

a curving boulder is placed in front of yoga studio

a white resin matt is used to delineate the borders of the park

the park aims to be a place of interaction, reflection and play

project info:

boulders: NY quarries
resin mat: fusion floors
team members: maziar behrooz, ali soltani, jee won kim, renee rust, haotian xu, brandon ma
plant selection: jill musnicki,
landscape installation: green living roofs 
client: debra marcoux, underline coffee 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: peter corboy | designboom