In urban environments, the struggle between architectural control and nature’s persistent intrusion shapes our surroundings. Despite efforts to confine nature, it inevitably infiltrates and expands. We curate and appropriate natural elements within defined spaces, yet nature’s drive to propagate challenges these boundaries. Architectural envelopes highlight this tension as we negotiate the integration of nature into built environments. Our relationship with nature oscillates between conflict and collaboration, evident in curated spaces like gardens and botanical gardens. The irony lies in designing structures like grottoes — man-made imitations of nature — while striving to harmonize with and respect the autonomy of the natural world. The project was developed in the context of Columbia GSAPP, under the guidance of Jing Liu (SO-IL). The "Coming Community" studio explored the tension between existing museums (such as the Carnegie Mansion Cooper Hewitt & Guggenheim) and the urban context of NYC.