All Weather Garden

Mattaforma

→

Bronx, NY

All Weather Garden is a proposal for a series of five additions to the existing garden at Concourse House, each tied to a sensory experience. The project began with hands-on workshops designed for women and their young children, where participants explored the five senses and helped shape the architectural concepts that emerged from their own experiences and needs.

Size: 100 ft²
Client: Concourse House
Scope: Design, Community Engagement
Completed: 2024
Team: In partnership with Design Advocates (Barker Architecture Office, Daisy Orlana, Emily Siegel, Erica Fink, Gabrielle Kupfer, Habitat Workshop, MATERIALBUREAU, Mattaforma, Kalos Eidos, Space4Architecture, Studio For, TriLox, Walter P Moore)
Community Partners: Concourse House Families and Staff, C.G. Esperanza, GTN, Manhattan College, Mothers Art Crew, Luned Palmer, New York City College of Technology, Noguchi Museum, Objects of Common Interest, Pratt Institute, unCommission

Living

Built

In the context of a women’s shelter, access to nature and sensory engagement becomes an essential part of healing. The garden offers spaces for restoration, play, and reflection, allowing residents to reconnect with their bodies and emotions in a calm, supportive environment. Each sensory pavilion is designed to evoke presence: the sound of rain on wood, the warmth of filtered sunlight, the scent of herbs and soil.

Functionally, these additions expand the shelter’s ability to host small gatherings and therapeutic programs outdoors without interruption from weather or seasonal changes. By creating a protected yet open environment, the garden reinforces the organization’s mission of safety, resilience, and renewal, turning the act of being outside into a daily ritual of care.

Related Projects

The Nursery at Public Records

Summer event space and over winter greenhouse

Monospace

Dinner series music venue pop up at historic stove factory off a rail spur

Rancho Almasomos

Biodynamic-farm-to-table hospitality offering in the high desert

Reach out to start a conversation about your project and how we can bring it to life with thoughtful, sustainable design hello@mattaforma.com

Mattaforma

Projects

Research

Studio

Living

Hospitality

Planning

→

Projects

Research

Studio

Living

Hospitality

Planning

→