THE PAVILIONS AT ART OMI
Low impact design, meadow and forest restoration for a public art campus
Our landscape design for the Pavilions at Art Omi draws inspiration from what is already on site: woodlands, pasture meadow, and wetlands. The regenerative design framework acknowledges the site’s pastoral qualities and enriches local ecological communities around the new art pavilions. The regenerative landscape design approach, grounded in the site ecology and history, proposes to maximize the carbon-capture potential of the site through meadow and forest restoration.
Prioritizing the use of local and salvaged materials; we facilitated the donation of over 2,500 SF of historic “leftover” stone from Central Park. The stone is embedded with the history of NYC gardens and structures, including excess stone from the construction of Gracie Mansion. The grounds will highlight the historic farmstead on the property with a pilot forest restoration project to support awareness of the challenges that threaten Northeastern forests, and to support education about how we can all become better stewards of our natural areas. Educational programs will foreground art embedded with local ecology, and new meadow and forest trails will create access for enjoyment of the entire 190 acre property.
Location: Chatham, New York
Client: Art Omi, Inc.
Services Provided: Landscape Architecture, Master Planning, Construction Administration
Collaborators: BKSK Architects, Bill Wallace Architecture, LeChae Construction, Cloverleaf Nrseries
Press: Dezeen: Artist-Architect Pairings to Create Permanent Pavilions in Upstate New York
Honoring the site’s forests and pastoral history through intentional design
Designing circular ecological loops to encourage and restore self-sustaining growth
The Visitor Center - coming in 2026
Building #1: The Visitor Center - BKSK Architects
Visitor Center Meadow View
Roof Scupper Rain Garden Feature
Circular Design at Art Omi - Repurposing Reclaimed Bluestone from Central Park, NYC
Central Park Yard Storage - Attic Stock and Castaways
Random Pieces from Historic NYC Sites
Site Inventory
Checking the list
Granite Slabs
Double Checking
Salvage is a path to decarbonization
Giving valuable historic materials a second life!

