A classic 1800’s Greenwich Village brownstone forms the basis for this beautifully curved roof patio and green garden space in the heart of Manhattan. Sinuous forms wrap to establish built-in seating, tactile decking and an arcing wind-and-sun shade structure.

And for those craving some cool water in the warm air, this design by Graftworks includes an outdoor shower – after all, the project was inspired by the slatted wood forms of water towers found on roofs around the region.

Discrete pieces of furniture rise up from the knotty cedar flooring, unfurling ribbons are scaled to human body proportions and shape lounge chairs. The resulting surface is at once clearly man-made yet soft and organic in the urban landscape.

At rooftop edges, the boards begin to warp sideways once more to create a visual effect but also to promote keeping a safe distance and avoid falling. A concealed trap door rises up from below, while a more conventional entrance (or rather: exit, according to the mat) appears on one side.

Surrounding views of iconic structures NYC (including the Empire State Building outlined by the door) are framed in openings as well as elements of the same wrapping motion at a larger scale; these wavy slats rise up and roundly form an overhanging canopy, in turn framed by pained marine plywood.

But the more industrial surroundings are also accepted by necessity, arguably adding a lovely visual contrast to the more refined forms on the new roof itself and the bits of greenery that rise up through the gaps and cracks in between.