各城市豪華公寓樓頂涌現空中花園

Thirty-five stories above New York Harbor, Fred Rich can stroll through his groves of Japanese maple, spruce and pine trees or sit under a pergola hung with grape vines, where wild strawberries and thyme grow between the paving stones. There is a hidden alpine garden, an orchard of plum, peach and heirloom apple trees, and espaliered pear trees growing on copper screens.

在紐約港35層以上的高空，弗雷德・裏奇(Fred Rich)可在自己的日本楓樹、雲杉和松樹林中漫步，亦或坐在掛着葡萄藤的棚架下，棚架的鋪地石間生長着野草莓和百里香。這兒有個隱祕的高空花園，一個種着李子、桃子及品種古老的蘋果樹的果園，園內的梨樹則攀伏生長於銅網上。

'There is always something in bloom,' said Mr. Rich, who will be dining on fresh arugula, spinach and radishes from his vegetable beds this week. 'I do my yoga in the morning and the birds sit there and watch.'

裏奇說：“每時每刻總有些東西在盛開。早晨我會在這兒做瑜伽，小鳥就呆在那兒看着。”這一週他將從自家菜圃採摘新鮮芝麻菜、菠菜和小蘿蔔作爲食材。

With landscape architect Mark Morrison and a team of engineers, fabricators and organic farmers, Mr. Rich has created a 2,000-square-foot garden irrigated with recycled building water on the rooftop of his $4.8 million penthouse. Mr. Rich, a 57-year-old partner at the Sullivan & Cromwell law firm, decLined to say what he spent on his rooftop retreat, which has views of the Statue of Liberty and Governors Island.

裏奇與景觀設計師馬克・莫里森(Mark Morrison)、一羣工程師、建造工和有機耕種農夫展開合作，在其價值480萬美元的頂層公寓的屋頂打造了一個面積爲2,000平方英尺（約合185平米）、採用大樓的再生水進行灌溉的花園。今年57歲的裏奇爲Sullivan & Cromwell律師事務所的一名合夥人，他拒絕透露他在這處樓頂避世之所上花費了多少資金。從這個花園可欣賞到自由女神像與總督島的景緻。

At its most basic, a green roof consists of a carpet of hard-to-kill plants in a thin layer of soil. Luxury homeowners, however, are opting for bespoke greenscapes as carefully curated-and sometimes as costly-as art collections. With the right design, these eco-chic gardens also add insulation, absorb storm water runoff and deflect heat from the sun.

最基礎的綠色屋頂由種植在薄薄一層土壤中的生命力頑強的植物構成。不過，豪宅業主卻喜歡選擇定製綠色景觀，它們被當作藝術品一般細緻佈置，而且它們的造價有時也與後者相當。設計得當的話，這些時尚的生態花園還可隔熱、吸收暴風雨造成的水流並折射太陽的熱度。

Creating the natural look hundreds of feet above the sidewalk demands intricate engineering, sophisticated waterproofing and irrigation systems, custom-designed soil, and occasionally, a crane.

在距人行道數百英尺的高空打造自然景觀需要精細的工程操作、精密的防水與灌溉系統、專門調配的土壤，而且偶爾還需動用起重機。

A block in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood is scheduled to be closed to pedestrian traffic later in June while a 150-foot crane lifts 13 species of mature trees onto the roof of Jean-Laurent Casanova's duplex apartment. The big lift is part of a two-year, $200,000 project to create an 1,100-square-foot arboretum reminiscent of the Southern Alps, Normandy and Corsica.

曼哈頓切爾西街區的一條街預定將在6月底禁止行人通行，因爲屆時將有一臺150英尺（約合45米）高的起重機要將13個品種的成年大樹送上讓-洛朗・卡薩諾瓦(Jean-Laurent Casanova)複式公寓的屋頂。這項爲期兩年、耗資20萬美元的工程旨在打造一個面積爲1,100平方英尺（約合102平米），令人想起南阿爾卑斯山、諾曼底和科西嘉島風光的樹木園，這輛龐大的起重機是工程的一部分。

'I love trees. I really want to have shade-almost to have a little forest on both sides of the roof,' said Dr. Casanova, a 50-year-old pediatrician and research scientist from Paris who is also a professor at Rockefeller University. Designed by Jacob Lange of Christian Duvernois Landscape, his forest will be set in an undulating landscape of meadow grasses, perennials and creeping thyme, crisscrossed with walking paths.

現年50歲的卡薩諾瓦醫生說：“我喜愛樹木，我非常想要擁有樹蔭――幾乎想要屋頂的兩側有一個小樹林。”他是一名來自巴黎的兒科醫生和科研人員，同時也在洛克菲勒大學(Rockefeller University)擔任教授。他的這個樹林由景觀設計公司Christian Duvernois Landscape的雅各布・蘭格(Jacob Lange)設計，它將被連綿起伏的草坪、多年生植物和蔓生的百里香所環繞，林中還會闢有縱橫交錯的步行小徑。

Michael Gerstner created a dense meadow-scape on the roof of his Tribeca penthouse, inspired by New York City's High Line elevated park. 'I like nature and the presence of nature-I don't like a sterile wood deck,' said Mr. Gerstner, 39, who works in investments. He bought the duplex in a converted 19th-century industrial building in 2011 for $3.1 million, according to city records, and spent two years remodeling it to 'bring the outside in,' at a cost he declined to disclose.

受到紐約市High Line空中花園的啓發，邁克爾・格斯特納(Michael Gerstner)在其位於翠貝卡街區的頂層公寓的屋頂打造了一處茂密的草坪景觀。他說：“我喜歡自然，喜歡自然現於眼前――不喜歡了無生氣的木製露臺。”今年39歲的格斯特納爲一名投資業人士。據市政紀錄顯示，他在2011年以310萬美元購得這套複式公寓，公寓位於一棟由19世紀的工業廠房改建而成的公寓樓中。他還花了兩年時間改造公寓以“將戶外景觀引入室內”，但他拒絕透露改造費用。

Once a caviar warehouse cooled by giant blocks of ice, the structure was strong enough to support 15,000 pounds of plant and soil. Architect Andrew Franz cut out part of the sloping roof to install a large retractable skylight-the roof garden's access point. Because of the roof's severe pitch, a scaffold structure was built to support the plants and trees, which include birch, ginkgo and a black pine Mr. Gerstner prizes for its 'sculptural' qualities. Juniper bushes, lavender, bright yellow yarrow and Scotch broom frame an ipe-wood deck. Although the plants have been selected for their hardiness in excessive sun and wind, they still require tending. A gardener makes regular visits to the 1,000-square-foot space, and a drip-irrigation system delivers measured amounts of water to different plant zones.

這棟樓房原爲一個採用巨型冰塊製冷的魚子醬庫房，它足夠堅固，可支撐重達15,000磅（約合6,800公斤）的植物與土壤。建築師安德魯・弗朗茲(Andrew Franz)將斜屋頂截去一部分，安了一扇可伸縮的大天窗――屋頂花園的入口處。由於屋頂極其傾斜，建築師搭建了一個支架來支撐園中的植物和樹木，樹木包括白樺、銀杏和一棵因其“雕塑”質感而備受格斯特納珍視的黑松。杜鬆叢、薰衣草、亮黃色的蓍草以及金雀花環繞着一個重蟻木露天平臺。儘管這些植物因耐強烈日照和抗狂風而被挑選出來，但它們仍需照料。一名園藝工會定期照管這個1,000平方英尺的花園，滴灌系統會向不同的植物區滴灌經過計量的水分。

Among its practical benefits, the meadow cools the duplex in the summer and insulates it during the winter, enabling Mr. Gerstner to leave the building's original wood beams exposed. It has also saved him the cost of a summer rental in the Hamptons.

草坪具有一些實際的好處，比如在夏季它能降低複式公寓的溫度，在冬季則能保暖，使格斯特納能夠讓樓房原有的木樑裸露在外。此外，它還讓他省下了夏季在漢普頓斯租房的費用。

Residential demand for planted rooftops has grown between 15% to 20% each year over the past decade, according to Ed Jarger, general sales and marketing manager for American Hydrotech, a manufacturer of green-roofing systems whose clients include New York's Lincoln Center and the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. The cost of installing one of his company's garden-roof assemblies-a watertight rubberized asphalt membrane overlaid with a root barrier, insulation, a drainage and water-retention layer, and an engineered growing medium ('We don't like to call it dirt.') can range between $30 to $60 a square foot, or more. 'More high-end single-family homes are putting green roofs on sloped structures, where the roof becomes part of the ground,' said Mr. Jarger.

綠色屋頂系統建造商American Hydrotech的銷售與營銷總經理埃德・加格(Ed Jarger)稱，在過去10年間，居民對綠色屋頂的需求每年以15%至20%的速度增長。該公司的客戶包括紐約的林肯中心(Lincoln Center)和舊金山的加州科學館(California Academy of Sciences)。該公司的屋頂花園組合包括一個以橡膠塗層的防水瀝青膜，它的表面覆蓋了耐根穿刺層、隔熱層、排水系統和儲水層以及經改造的生長介質（“我們不喜歡把它稱作土。”）它的造價在每平方英尺30美元至60美元甚或更高。加格稱：“越來越多高端獨棟住宅在斜頂建築上安裝綠色屋頂，屋頂成爲了地面的一部分。”

For Ken Hilgendorf, an architect and builder in Los Angeles, a sloped green roof was the solution to a complicated renovation of his home in the city's Westwood section. Set on a hill 30 feet above street level, 'it was the lowest-cost house in the neighborhood, because the hill was so big,' said Mr. Hilgendorf, who paid about $600,000 for it in 1999.

洛杉磯建築師和建造商肯・希爾根多夫(Ken Hilgendorf)在該市的西木區(Westwood)有一所住宅，對他而言，傾斜的綠色屋頂就是這所房子複雜的翻新難題的解決方案。希爾根多夫說，這所房子座落在高出街道30英尺（約合九米）的一座山丘上，“它是這個街區成本最低的住宅，因爲那座山丘非常之大”。他於1999年花費約60萬美元將它買下。

During a four-year renovation, he built a 75-foot-long garage at the foot of the property, then spent $54,000 on a green roof and landscaping designed by Stephen Billings of Pamela Burton and Co. A massive earthwork sculpted from 150 cubic feet of 'fluffy' custom-crafted soil, the garage roof is planted with a sycamore tree, ornamental grasses, and a bright green hillock of no-mow grass-a fescue mix that tolerates excessive heat and drought conditions. A thick hedgerow at the lip of the roof prevents anyone from tumbling off the lawn and onto the sidewalk.

在歷時四年的翻新過程中，他在房子底部建了一個75英尺（約合23米）長的車庫，而後又花費54,000美元打造了一個綠色屋頂及環境景觀，它們由景觀設計公司Pamela Burton & Co.的斯蒂芬・比林斯(Stephen Billings)設計。車庫屋頂這項龐大的土方工程取用了150立方英尺（約合四立方米）經專門調配的“鬆軟的”土壤打造而成，屋頂上種了一株美國梧桐、觀賞草以及一個小丘的鮮綠的免割草――這片羊茅草可耐高溫和乾旱。屋頂的邊緣有一堵茂密的灌木籬 ，可防止人從草坪跌落到人行道上去。

'It's like you're in a tree fort,' said Mr. Hilgendorf.

希爾根多夫說：“它就像你呆在一個樹木堡壘中。”

In New York City, the impact of a green roof on an apartment's resale value is a matter of debate. 'Every square foot that you sacrifice for landscaping as opposed to usable space is going to make the terrace less valuable,' said Michael Vargas, CEO of Manhattan-based Vanderbilt Appraisal Co.

在紐約市，綠色屋頂對公寓轉手價值的影響到底多大是一個存在爭議的問題。曼哈頓房產估值公司Vanderbilt Appraisal的首席執行長邁克爾・瓦爾加斯(Michael Vargas)說：“你用來佈置景觀而非打造實用空間的每一平方英尺都會讓露臺貶值。”

David and Henrie Whitcomb's vertical garden redeemed a chunk of unusable space on their 2,500-square-foot wraparound terrace in New York's Greenwich Village. Their penthouse, which public records show was purchased for $8.7 million in 2007, had 'a great big 15-foot-high, 15-foot-wide ugly tan brick wall' that ruined the view from the master bedroom, said Mr. Whitcomb, who founded Automated Trading Desk, one of the first high-frequency trading firms.

戴維・惠特科姆(David Whitcomb)與亨麗・惠特科姆(Henrie Whitcomb)位於紐約格林威治村的寓所有一個2,500平方英尺（約合230平米）的全景式露臺，他們的綠色幕 恢復了露臺大量不可用的空間。公開記錄顯示他們於2007年以870萬美元購得這套頂層公寓。惠特科姆稱，公寓有“一面15英尺（約合4.5米）高、15英尺寬的難看的棕色大磚 ”，它破壞了主臥的室外景觀。惠特科姆是最早一批高頻交易機構之一Automated Trading Desk的創始人。

The Whitcombs, who own a second home in Hawaii, couldn't tear down the wall: It is the 1928 building's chimney. So they transformed the eyesore into the centerpiece of their terrace garden, which also features a grove of Japanese maple, gray birch and serviceberry trees, and an evergreen that can be pushed on a built-in track to a prime spot at their living room window at Christmas.

惠特科姆夫婦（他們在夏威夷還有一所度假房）無法拆除這堵磚 ，因爲它是這棟1928年的建築的煙囪。因此，他們把這個眼中釘改造成了露臺花園的中心裝飾。這個花園也設計有日本楓樹、楊葉樺和花楸樹林以及一棵常青樹，在聖誕節期間，這棵樹還可通過內置式軌道被推到起居室窗戶的黃金位置。

During the 26-month remodeling project, the Whitcombs' architect, John Tinmouth, and landscape architect, Linda Pollak, designed a wall of panels with a water feature and recessed slots for 600 plants to bracket to the chimney. Future Green Studio, a New York-based firm specializing in green roofs and green walls, embedded the panels with ornamental grasses and trailing plants in shades of green, silver and purple. The plants are watered by a drip irrigation system.

在這項爲期26個月的改造工程中，惠特科姆夫婦的建築師約翰・廷茅斯(John Tinmouth)及景觀設計師琳達・波拉克(Linda Pollak)設計了一面面板 ，它包括一處人工水景和用於讓600棵植物附着在煙囪上的凹槽。紐約專門從事綠色屋頂與綠色幕 設計業務的Future Green Studio公司在面板上栽種了綠色、銀色和紫色色調的觀賞草和蔓生植物。這些植物由滴灌系統澆水。

'I'm guessing that it might have been, by itself, a half-million dollar installation,' said Mr. Whitcomb. 'By high summer, it looked absolutely wonderful. Then began the cold weather, and the wind blowing off the steppes of New Jersey. By April, the wind had taken off almost all the plant material and most of the soil.'

惠特科姆說：“我猜想它本身也許是個價值50萬美元的裝置。到了盛夏，它看上去美極了。接下來寒冷天氣來臨，大風從新澤西的大草原刮來。到了4月份，風已經將幾乎所有的植物和大部分土壤都颳走了。”

Now, the wall must be replanted each spring, 'based on what plants will survive there, and what plants will hold the soil,' said Emma Decaires, the Whitcombs' horticulturalist.

惠特科姆的園藝師埃瑪・德凱雷斯(Emma Decaires)說，現在“根據什麼植物能在那兒存活，什麼植物能保持水土”，每年春季那面面板 都必須重新種上植物。

Luxury developers are responding to city dwellers' hunger for free-form green spaces. Completed last summer, DDG Partners' new 37-unit condo building in Manhattan's Meatpacking district gives a nod to the abandoned, overgrown buildings that once stood nearby; its marquee is planted with a lush tangle of trees, shrubs and flowering plants that spill through amoeba-shaped cutouts. A two-bedroom apartment there is listed for $4.5 million.

豪宅開發商開始對城市居民對自由形態的綠色空間的渴求做出反應。DDG Partners位於曼哈頓Meatpacking區的包含37套公寓的新共管公寓樓於去年夏季竣工，它也模仿起了曾經矗立在附近的雜草叢生的廢棄樓房。它的遮檐上種植了一片繁茂的樹木、灌木叢以及呈不規則曲線形散落各處的開花植物。該公寓樓一套兩居室公寓的掛牌價爲450萬美元。

The company's 42-year-old CEO, Joe McMillan, lives in a ground-floor apartment at another DDG building in NoHo, where plants and vines creep across the bluestone facade from irrigated window boxes. Although Mr. McMillan's master and guest bedrooms are at street level, they are shielded from view by the living woodland tableaux planted in the recessed windows: a rock garden overgrown with ferns; witch hazel, yew and cypress trees growing out of thick plantings of grape-holly.

DDG Partners 42歲的首席執行長喬・麥克米倫(Joe McMillan)住在該公司位於NoHo區的另一棟公寓樓的一層公寓中，植物和藤蔓從有水灌溉的窗臺花箱中長出來，攀爬在青石外牆上。儘管他的主臥和客臥都與街道齊平，但它們都被栽在內凹窗內的充滿活力的林地景觀所遮擋。這個岩石園種滿了蕨類植物、金縷梅、紫衫以及從茂密的俄勒岡葡萄叢中長出的柏樹。