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Statue of Liberty Museum
New York, NY, USA
35,500 sf Greenroof
(Video)
Greenroofs.com Re-Featured Project July 3, 2024
As we Americans honor and enjoy our Independence Day on July 4th, the inspiring and iconic Statue of Liberty reminds us of both the strength and fragility of freedom: We must stand tall and resolute to ensure liberty and freedom for all. The fact that her museum was designed beautifully and sustainably is the icing on the rooftop cake!
Image: NPS
On May 16 the Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation celebrated five years since the opening of the new Statue of Liberty Museum. The award-winning museum has already welcomed millions of visitors, all made possible by generous supporters – congratulations to everyone involved, from design (FXCollaborative) to implementation (American Hydrotech, Naturcycle, New York Green Roofs – plus many more)!
Views from Lady Liberty:
EarthCam live screenshot of July 1, 2024, via the Statue of Liberty website.
The website poses, “Ever wonder what the world looks like from the eyes of Lady Liberty?”
In collaboration with the National Park Service and EarthCam, the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation offers four unique perspectives from the Statue of Liberty, along with a stunning shot of Liberty Island from the shores of Brooklyn. Interactive cameras feature views of New York Harbor, the New York City Skyline, historic Ellis Island, and the Statue itself.
Ellis Island & the Wall of Honor
The Wall of Honor on Ellis Island was unveiled in 1990 to honor the brave immigrants who left their homeland to come to the US and their families who helped build our great nation. Did you know you could celebrate your family’s immigration journey by adding a name to the nearly one million names already inscribed on the Wall of Honor? June was Immigrant Heritage Month, and by adding a name to the newly expanded Wall of Honor you also help the Foundation fulfill its mission to preserve and restore the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. To learn more, and add a name to the Wall of Honor, click here. Learn about the Ellis Island Museum Reimagined by becoming an Ellis Island steward.
And, you can now enhance your visit or explore from home with the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation’s Bloomberg Connects guide, a free digital experience.
Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan
Image: Seastreak Facebook
Excerpt from Greenroofs.com Project Profile:
Gracing the entrance to New York Harbor and welcoming millions of immigrants to the United States since 1886, the Statue of Liberty was a gift of France designed by Bartholdi and Eiffel. The Statue of Liberty Museum is the most monumental addition to Liberty Island since the Statue herself.
More than that, it allows millions more visitors to enjoy the Statue of Liberty experience and be inspired by her history and message of freedom and opportunity. While the Statue of Liberty remains New York’s most iconic monument, the museum housed in its base had long proved inadequate for the thousands who visit each day.
Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan
Image: FXCollaborative. Click for larger graphic.
Designed by FXCollaborative, the new $100 million Statue of Liberty Museum opened in 2019, aiming for LEED Gold. The new Museum recounts a long-forgotten aspect: that Lady Liberty was created to celebrate freed slaves, not immigrants – that came later. The Museum addresses 3 main components: Accessibility, Education, and Sustainability and visitors can peruse permanent and rotating displays of statue-related artifacts, a 3-room immersive theater, and the original 1886 torch.
The design enhances the site with multiple planted areas, an extensive greenroof, and bird-friendly glass.
Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan
The Statue of Liberty Museum’s defining gesture is the lifting of the park itself, which creates a new, naturalized habitat in place of a traditional building. Designed by Quennell Rothschild & Partners, the landscape extends vistas, engages the site, and seamlessly merges with the building.
The design gives the appearance of rising up from the earth carrying with it a beautifully planted Garden Roof Assembly from American Hydrotech, completed with native grasses. The almost 23 degree slope was stabilized with Hydrotech’s GardNet, and MM6125 membrane and components were used in all of the roof and adjacent planter areas. Made with 100% New York state materials, the special blend of LiteTop Hydrotech growing media by Naturcycle traveled to the island on a barge via Super Sacks.
Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan
As visitors ascend the Statue of Liberty Museum stone staircase, the sloped greenroof meadow is seen on one side and a viewing platform appears on the other. New York Green Roofs was a consultant on the living roof’s plant palette. The Museum Roof Deck offers sweeping 360 degree views of the iconic Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, and the New York skyline.
Drawing in 4.5 million visitors a year, Lady Liberty is a symbol of freedom, a national treasure, and one of the most recognizable figures around the globe – now with a beautiful greenroof topping her new museum to protect the artifacts inside for generations to come.
Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan
Year: 2019
Owner: The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundation
Location: New York, NY USA
Building Type: Museum
Type: Intensive Greenroof
System: Single Source Provider
Size: 35,500 sq.ft.
Slope: 5/12 or almost 23 degrees
Access: Inaccessible, Public
Image: American Hydrotech
Credits:
ARCHITECT:
FXCOLLABORATIVE
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT:
QUENNELL ROTHSCHILD & PARTNERS
GENERAL CONTRACTOR:
PHELPS CONSTRUCTION GROUP, LLC
ROOFING & WATERPROOFING:
AMERICAN HYDROTECH, INC.
GARDEN ROOF® ASSEMBLY GREENROOF SYSTEM:
AMERICAN HYDROTECH, INC.
AH LITETOP GREEN ROOF MEDIA:
NATURCYCLE, LLC
WATERPROOFING INSTALLATION:
GRANDVIEW WATERPROOFING
GREENROOF INSTALLATION:
WETLANDS
PLANT PALETTE CONSULTANT:
NEW YORK GREEN ROOFS
EXHIBITION DESIGN:
ESI DESIGN
Image: Courtesy of FXCollaborative, photo copyright Iwan Baan.
See the Project Profile
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Image: Statue of Liberty Museum
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By Linda S. Velazquez, ASLA, LEED AP, GRP
Greenroofs.com Publisher & Sky Gardens Studio Principal
