Grace Farms: the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of the city
I went to Grace Farms, this is such a beautiful place an hour’s drive from New York, which can be described as follows: if the Apple Store was built on a former horse farm, and instead of the store they made a public space for lectures, picnics, sports and recreation. Surrounded by meadows and lakes, in the center stands the River building complex, which resembles a river from above. The architects of the project are the Japanese firm SANAA, winners of the Pritzker Prize (Oscar in architecture), who are my favorite for the New Museum building in New York. To convey to you the feeling of the place, I’ll tell you how the lecture hall was made, in the photo there is a room with a stage and chairs:
1. The floor of the lecture hall completely follows the shape of the slope. The building seems to “dissolve” in the nature surrounding it;
2. Since the floor is sloped, each of the 700 chairs was carefully trimmed by hand to ensure that the audience could sit comfortably. Each chair is unique and cannot be moved from one place to another;
3. Typically, ventilation in such halls is located under the ceiling. Not so at Grace Farms, where under each chair there is a small hole through which cooled/warm air flows in, creating an even temperature throughout the room.
4. The lecture hall has a special glass soundproof room. You can be there with children, and through the speakers there will be an effect of presence. By the way, this same room is also useful for those who are uncomfortable with loud sounds - in such cases the volume of the speakers can be slightly reduced through a special controller;
5. 100% barrier-free environment and no columns, which is very rare for this format of halls. The roof is additionally strengthened due to special braces;
6. The panoramic view of nature looks great due to the curved glass, each of which is curved from its own angle and is unique. Glasses are washed every day.
Admission to Grace Farms is free and the organization never holds closed events. An ideal place for a road trip or outdoor recreation, there is also a small trail.
Source: Telegram channel “Token Friend”
