flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

A plant—or at least its image—grows in Brooklyn

Multifamily Housing

A plant—or at least its image—grows in Brooklyn

A 90-foot mural overlooks the courtyard of a new residential building.


By John Caulfield, Senior Editor | August 3, 2019

The mural of a plant indigenous to Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood adorns a building's exterior wall that's visible to residents of a recently opened apartment building. Image: Evan Joseph

475 Clermont is a 12-story building with 363 residences that opened last April at the intersection of two Brooklyn, N.Y., neighborhoods, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

Designed by Aufgang Architects, with interiors by Durukan Design, and built by Broadway Construction Group, 475 is the first residential development in New York City for RXR Realty. To help call attention to the building, the developer commissioned a 90-foot-tall, 5,800-sf exterior mural painted by Mona Caron, a Swiss-born and San Francisco-based artist who is known for her community-specific and multistory artworks that highlight urban flora.

To select a wildflower for the mural that was indigenous to Fort Greene’s landscape, Caron worked with the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s curator of native plants and the NYC Greenbelt Native Plant Center on Staten Island. Her choice—the Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)—is a medicinal plant used by Native Americans.

Caron completed the mural in 10 days working with assistance from the firm No Entry Design; and Anne-Laure Lemaitre, an independent curator. (A time lapse video of their work can be viewed here.)

 

The 12-story 475 Clermont Building is RXR Realty's first residential project in New York City. Image: Courtesy of RXR

 

The mural is painted onto the side of an adjacent building that overlooks 475 Clermont’s courtyard, and is visible exclusively to its residents. RXR also worked with horticulturalists from Blue Plant NYC that picked up the mural’s theme within the building’s landscaping so that residents could touch and smell the plant as well.

The cost of the mural, which was unveiled last May, was not disclosed.

 

Mona Caron - Brooklyn Weeds from RXR Realty on Vimeo.

Related Stories

Multifamily Housing | Sep 10, 2020

COVID-19: How are you doing?

Multifamily seems to be one sector in the construction industry that’s holding its own during the pandemic.

Multifamily Housing | Sep 10, 2020

EV charging webinar to feature experts from Bozzuto, Irvine Company, and RCLCO - Wed., 9-16

EV charging webinar (9/16) to feature Bozzuto Development, The Irvine Company, RCLCO, and ChargePoint

Multifamily Housing | Sep 2, 2020

8 noteworthy multifamily projects to debut in 2020

Brooklyn's latest mega-development, Denizen Bushwick, and Related California’s apartment tower in San Francisco are among the notable multifamily projects to debut in the first half of 2020.

Giants 400 | Aug 28, 2020

2020 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms

The 2020 Giants 400 Report features more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.

Sponsored | | Aug 26, 2020

Healthy air systems have become the new “standard equipment.”

As home buyers demand healthy air systems, builders look to differentiate themselves with a “Healthy Home Builder” designation. 

Coronavirus | Aug 25, 2020

Video: 5 building sectors to watch amid COVID-19

RCLCO's Brad Hunter reveals the winners and non-winners of the U.S. real estate market during the coronavirus pandemic.

Multifamily Housing | Aug 24, 2020

Portland’s zoning reform looks to boost the ‘missing middle’ of housing

The city council in Portland, Ore., recently approved the “Residential Infill Project” (RIP), a package of amendments to the city’s zoning code that legalizes up to four homes on nearly any residential lot and sharply limits building sizes.

Multifamily Housing | Aug 24, 2020

Texaco’s century-old headquarters is now a luxury apartment community

After sitting vacant for nearly three decades, the former home of Texaco, Inc. has been converted into a 17-story, 286-unit apartment building in the heart of downtown Houston.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021