worrell yeung transforms townhouse garden in historic brooklyn heights

new york city-based architecture office worrell yeung designs the renovation of the front and back gardens of an historic brooklyn heights townhouse. the project is sited within a tree-lined landmark district which lines the east river waterfront and beginning at brooklyn bridge park. in addition to updating historical details and upgrading a lagging garden infrastructure, the office opens up the boundary between indoors and outdoors, letting additional light into the townhouse, and creating a rich, layered garden environment.

images by alan tansey

prior to the renovation by worrell yeung, the existing conditions of the brooklyn heights brownstone gardens were bleak and un-landscaped. the space included astroturf, mosquito infestations, and water infiltration due to lack of drainage. in the front yard, worrell yeung reconstitutes the historic forged iron fencing and gate details, adding modern contextual stone pavings and custom planters. at the rear, new enlarged steel casement windows and doors on the ground level and first floor bring additional light into the townhouse. these rear doors open onto a new balcony with a new, black custom metal staircase that descends into the intimate garden below.

continuing the studio’s overarching design strategy, worrell yeung organizes the brooklyn heights garden with several discrete but similar cubic volumes. these volumes contain plantings and a spa in the back, with waste and recycling protection in the front. jejon yeung, co-founder of worrell yeung continues: ‘this is consistent with a lot of the interior architecture work we do, in which we deploy ‘objects’ within a space. we treated these objects like vitrines, which helped us to organize the cubic hot tub with the plantings, for example.’ instead of laying out a more traditional wall of hedges, worrell yeung purposefully layered multiple plant areas in the garden to achieve lushness while still maintaining privacy.

project info:

project title: brooklyn heights garden renovation

architecture: worrell yeung

location: hicks street, brooklyn heights, new york

design team: max worrell, jejon yeung, and beatriz de uña bóveda

structural: KPFF consulting engineers

garden designer/installer: hannah edmunds

contractor: bednarz construction

completion: 2020

photography: alan tansey