New York City’s urban grid is dense, so when new developments pop up, we root for intelligent and environmentally-positive design that balances out the concrete with a little bit of greenery. Architect Enrique Norten and his NYC-based firm, TEN ARQUITECTOS, are in the midst of building a mixed-use high-rise in Hell’s Kitchen called Clinton Park, which will provide some much-needed green space to concrete jungle on the west side. The unusual stepped roof and S-shaped design reminds us a bit of terraced farming — an age-old agricultural method — and provides ample space for budding urban gardeners to sow their seeds. When you consider the stepped terrace with the contemporary look-and-feel of the building’s facade, we know this green and attractive addition to the urban grid is sure to please future residents.

The building’s design is incredibly conscientious of its residential neighbors with a “tall side” that faces a telephone switching tower and a “short side” that faces a nearby park. The disparate urban scales became an important agenda item for the architecture team to reconcile and resulted in the stepped terrace. The poetic reasons for the design move are sure to please the sensibilities of designers and landscape historians alike, but we love that it created several rooftop garden for the residents of the attached units. Fortunately, the architects didn’t forget the rest of the building’s inhabitants:  the gliding down of apartment units also created two large open terraces that, in the rendering, seem to be designated public space.

While we are sorry to hear that the building will be occupied by an auto dealer — common to this area on the west side of Manhattan — we felt a bit better when we heard that the building will also be home to a neighborhood green market. The building will also include a 30,000 square-foot horse stable, a 30,000 square-foot health club, and 200 parking spaces.