Teardrop Park is a 1.8-acre public park in lower Manhattan that transcends its small size, shady environment, and mid-block location through bold topography, complex irregular space, and robust plantings. Teardrop's design and construction were coordinated with the development of four surrounding apartment buildings, each ranging from 210 feet to 235 feet in height. In the development of Teardrop Park, sustainability was not merely a goal, but rather an organizing principle that influenced everything from material selection to contractor practices. Based on decades-long research into urban soils and non-toxic plant maintenance, environmental aspects of the park's design include fully organic soils and maintenance regimes that don't rely on pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. Treated and recycled graywater from the adjacent LEED Gold-rated Solaire Building and stormwater runoff from the site are captured in an underground storage pipe, supplying all of the park's irrigation needs. There are two artworks integrated into the design. Ben Ruben's sound piece 'Mumeration', and Ann Hamilton & Michael Mercil's 'Ice Walls'. These consist of three bluestone sections evoke a sense of geologic flux and transition between present time (now) and past time (then). While recalling a natural history of the Hudson River Valley, these sections might also recall the processes of quarrying, or of masonry. But this stonework neither comes from nor quite belongs to any of those things. And because it was never any other built thing, the stonework is not a ruin. Lift, thrust, fold, fault, drop, scrape, erode—our rendering of geologic incident at Teardrop Park is not anti-form, but is also not yet, or not quite form. It is a becoming of, or coming to, form that makes real our relation to landscape as well as our relation to art.. Water flowing on it runs down in the summer and forms icicles in winter.

This 27-​story apartment building in Battery Park City is the first green residential high-​rise in the United States. Sustainable design features developed for this building were refined for the Visionaire and the Verdesian, subsequent residential towers Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects designed for Battery Park City. The Solaire uses 35 percent less energy than required by New York State energy codes and includes such features as occupancy sensor systems for both lighting and climate control. Building-​integrated photovoltaics create up to 5 percent of the base-​building electricity, supplying lighting for hallways and other common areas. Each apartment includes programmable digital thermostats, Energy Star fixtures, and a master shut-​off switch. The building treats and reuses its own water for use in toilets and in the cooling tower, which reduces the use of potable water by 38 percent. Roof-​top gardens reduce storm water runoff by 50 percent. Residents also enjoy high air quality and maximum daylight. Each of the building’s 293 units receives filtered, humidified air. The building’s advanced HVAC system is fueled by natural gas and free of ozone-​depleting refrigerants. Building materials with high recycled content and low or no VOCs were used and a significant number of the materials were manufactured within 500 miles of New York City. Wood and bamboo for paneling and cabinetry in the apartments are sustainably harvested and certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. More than 93 percent of the building’s construction waste was recycled. The building was the first residential tower to attain a Gold LEED rating and was selected as an AIA Top Ten Green Project for 2004. The Solaire is one of the first buildings to receive funding under the New York State Green Building Tax Credit. It was also chosen by the United States Department of Energy to represent the United in the 2002 Green Building Challenge, an international conference on sustainable technology.

This 10,500-square-foot library, which occupies the bottom two floors of a residential highrise development in Battery Park City, was commissioned to meet the needs of a new and rapidly growing community. As a new branch without an ingrained pattern of community use, it was critical for the design to establish a presence that would attract visitors. Open, bright spaces create a welcoming environment for the public, while the design of book and periodical displays, information desks, and furniture facilitates the most efficient circulation. The folded planes of the ceiling guide the visitor’s eye through the library and acts as a physical and visual unifier for the entire space. The most eco-friendly of the New York Public Library branches, the project utilizes numerous sustainable design strategies and is LEED Gold certified.