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The East Harlem Buddhist Society

The East Harlem Buddhist Society was bequeathed an historic brownstone on 116th Street in Manhattan, and decided to redesign the interior and backyard of its new headquarters to suit its needs.

  1. Inspiration Board

    The colors and terrain of the Himalayas were inspiration for the design.

  2. Sketches

    Sketches of Tibetan Buddhist elements.

  3. Site Plan

    The mid-block backyard abuts two residential backyards and, on the other side of a small alley, the parking lot of a big box store. During temperate weather, the monks hoped to open up the ground-floor meditation hall to the outside, and also hold meetings and events in the yard. Along with the smooth, weathered wooden plank deck, a large lawn is reinforced for foot traffic and sitting for long periods. The trickle of water from the Knot-shaped waterfall into the Vajra-shaped pool, along with the crunch of feet on the pebble threshold and the rustling of the neighbor's wild cherry trees help mitigate distractions from the nearby parking lot. Inspired by the steep mountains of the Himalayas, a terraced perennial garden lines the northern wall, and a shade garden lies against the southern wall. A small fig tree is planted to the East, evoking the Bodhi tree of enlightenment.

  4. Site Detail

    Monks can gather on the lawn, weather permitting, plan view.

  5. Site Detail

    A detail showing the vajra-shaped pond, the endless knot waterfall, and the bodhi tree, plan view.

  6. Site Detail

    A detail of the community seating area, plan view.

  7. Elevation Study

    A color-coded elevation map of the terracing in the yard, including inside the pond, plan view.

  8. Water System

    A schematic of how the water will flow in the Endless Knot waterfall.

  9. Rear Garden

    A rendering of the small garden at the rear of the yard, section view.