To meet a growing interest in urban edible gardening, particularly for New York City’s young learners, Cooper Robertson was commissioned to design an expansion to The New York Botanical Garden’s Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden. The new facility, called The Edible Academy, will expand programs for children as well as teachers, families, and adults into a year-round teaching center focusing on the fundamental relationships between plants, gardening, sustainability, nutrition, and health.

The Edible Academy will include a new 5,300 square foot classroom building and propagation greenhouse as well as expanded garden areas to serve up to 100,000 program participants annually. It is sited to highlight its magnificent setting with views down a steep wooded slope to the Bronx River. A terraced lawn amphitheater and two outdoor pavilions will provide flexible spaces for activities, cooking demonstrations, and outdoor events.

The heart of this project will be the classroom building. A LEED Gold-certified environmentally sustainable structure with cutting-edge technology, a green roof, porous pavements, and geothermal heating, the building will include two high-tech classrooms. Each classroom will be able to accommodate 25-30 adults or 32 children with adult chaperones and will offer year-round edible gardening programs and STEM education activities related to growing and cooking.