The first iteration of Testbeds completed at The Garden by the Bay Community Garden in Edgemere, Queens, in September 2022. The garden was designated as an Open Space in the Edgemere Urban Renewal Plan in 2016 and a Community Garden in 2018. We were introduced to this garden by GreenThumb and worked with the gardeners to develop a multipurpose structure around their future needs.

The structure includes a greenhouse, a community room, and a storage shed, as well as covered outdoor space. It forms a gateway between the current garden and the newly acquired adjacent lot.

The pilot project began with a mockup we received from the developer, Cape Advisors, which was built to test custom concrete facade panels for their residential building, 30 Warren, in Tribeca.

The mockup, which was formerly installed in the building’s nearby showroom, consists of four custom concrete panels and a large, 8-by-5 foot glass window frame.

We transported the mockup from Tribeca to Edgemere, where it would anchor a new community structure for local gardeners.

Through the mockup, the Edgemere Garden shares an apparent surface with the 30 Warren condominium.

A double life unfolds across disparate parts of the city.