Waste to wonder: waterfront park in New York

Phase II of the Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park, spanning 5.5 acres, marks the completion of a larger masterplan which first welcomed the public in 2013. The result is 11 acres of continuous multi-layered waterfront park. The project is designed in collaboration between SWA/BALSLEY and WEISS/MANFREDI, while ARUP has been the prime consultant and infrastructure designer.

The site savors spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline and is located next to the Hunter’s Point neighbourhood - Long Island City’s largest affordable housing development since the 1970s. Making the most of its contextual assets, the project presents a new model for urban ecology and a prototype for innovative sustainable design. It integrates within its fabric, infrastructure, landscape, architecture and art that come together as a unique urban insert in an otherwise dilapidated industrial land.

“Reforming disused areas of our densely populated city is an incredibly important part of our social responsibility as designers in New York, and the new Hunter’s Point development provided the perfect opportunity to allow people to explore and enjoy the city’s waterfront,” comments Tom Kennedy, principal at ARUP.

One of the reasons the project stands out is for its ability of being waterfront resilient. The design brings into account a ‘soft’ approach to protecting the water’s edge from flooding. An acre of newly established wetland has been developed, which prevents shoreline bank erosion, enhances water quality and nourishes the aquatic ecosystem.

“It’s a new kind of park,” says Tom Balsley, lead landscape architect at SWA BALSLEY, referencing the pre-empted infrastructure and community offerings presented here.

The site, along the river bank, is wrapped by a continuous meandering causeway that protects the wetlands. This path invites people to the waterfront; sporadic break-out lounges dotting the route, a striking overlook with a wooden board-walk and seating spaces. Softly reflecting in the wetlands below, this 30 feet high cantilevered platform is supported by an impressive steel-clad framework that reminisces the site’s industrial past while at the same time remains distinctly urbane.

Branching off the causeway, a pedestrian bridge connects the visitors to a circular grassland. The established industrial peninsula of the larger design reconfigures itself into a dreamlike getaway – where one is as if detached from the city and at the same time, fairly connected. The space features a land art installation called Luminescence by New York-based artist, Nobuhu Nagasawa. It consists of seven large sculptures embedded in the land that emulate the surface of the moon in each of its seven phases. The work uses integrated phosphorescent particles that absorb sunlight during the day and emits a soft glow as dusk approaches.

Phase II of the Hunter’s Point South presents itself as a porous meeting point for people to relax, detox and retreat in the embrace of nature. The project is an intelligent intervention where design, respectful of the site’s past, has opened a gateway to new possibilities of creating contemporary public spaces within developing urban precincts.

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