Synthetic Nature: Reclaiming the Lost Waterfront of Manhattan

RECLAIMING THE LOST WATERFRONT OF MANHATTAN

SYNTHETICNATURE

INTRODUCTION: DESIGN PROPOSALPART ONE: HISTORY OF MANHATTAN’S WATERFRONTPART TWO: CONTEXTUAL MAPS & SITE ANALYSISPART THREE: PRECEDENT STUDY & INSPIRATIONPART FOUR: CONCEPTUAL METHODS & DIAGRAMSPART FIVE: DESIGN GOALS & SCHEDULEPART SIX: BIBLIOGRAPHY

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GRADUATE DESIGN PROJECT PROPOSAL

INTRODUCTION:

Researching kinetic and responsive tectonics will help to inform design decisions that possibly create a new typology of architectural structure and form through the application at various scales of the pedestrian.

Using sustainability, infill opportunity, and response to surrounding urban fabric as a means of design, a few goals this project aims to address include: Improving Access and Mobility of the Pedestrian to the Water’s Edge, The opportunity for residents to live a healthy lifestyle, The generation of energy on-site to utilize throughout various programs of this project, Providing sustainable food production at a scale appropriate for the neighborhood, Reclaiming and emphasizing nature to provide an escape from the concrete jungle that is Manhattan, and provide a new identity to the currently naked edge of the Meat Packing District and Chelsea Neighborhoods.

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Synthetic Nature is a project that will investigate the potential possibilities for the reclamation of lost and abandoned industrial sites along Manhattan’s waterfront of the Meat Packing District and Chelsea neighborhoods; utilizing the High Line Elevated Park as an inspiration and framework for initial explorations. These explorations range from, access, proximity, program needs, views of the water and urban skyline, as well as connections to the water, actual and implied.

This project will integrate pedestrian access and mobility, making it easier and more accessible to travel to the Hudson waterfront, as it is currently cut off from the city via the 200’ expanse of the West Side Highway and ensuing traffic.

A diverse program of residential, commercial, mixed use, urban space, and reclamation of nature will reactivate the area along the waterfront to help the developing neighborhoods have a unique identity within Manhattan.

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DESIGN QUESTIONSINTRODUCTION:

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DO WE FUNDAMENTALLY NEED NATURE?

HOW CAN WE MAKE NATUREACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE?WILL THERE EVER BE A TIME WHEN THEAUTOMOBILE STOPS DICTATING THERULES FOR PUBLIC DESIGN?WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE STREETSCAPEIF CARS WERE NO LONGER PERMITTED IN MANHATTAN?

CAN WE ENGINEER AND MANUFACTUREA SYNTHETIC NATURE THAT MOREADEQUATELY ADAPTS TO THE URBAN REALM?

WHAT NATURAL ELEMENT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO CONNECT WITH NATUREWITHIN AN DENSE URBAN ENVIRONMENT?

IS SYNTHETIC NATURESTILL NATURE?

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BRIEF HISTORY OF MANHATTAN’S INDUSTRIAL WATERFRONT

PART ONE:

>> A working waterfront has always been the main agenda of the Manhattan island edge. Serving as the economic driver for the history of development on the island, the density of this industrial edge has diminished in the last three decades, leaving abandoned piers, warehouses, and maritime facilities to decay into a now naked urban edge.

the waterfront. Military forces also occupied waterfront areas, such as the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and Governor’s Island. Rail lines also connected the port with the interior, bringing goods and services to many, leaving the shorelines an inhabitable place to relax or experience nature.

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Since the nineteenth century, Manhattan has served as a major maritime port for the economic engine of industry for the city and region alike. By the turn of the century, piers, warehouses, and other facilities serving the industrial development of the water’s edge already occupied the majority of

The Commissioners plan of 1811 envisioned many public parks for the city, a series of triangular parks at significant cross streets. Besides the Battery, the colonial fort at the south end of the island, there were no parks planned for the waterfront. In 1890, the original Riverside Park was designed by Olmsted, but was poorly designed and was mainly occupied by the rail lines. People avoided the waterfront, which the characterized as dangerous, foul-smelling, and polluted by urban wastes and the occasional corpse.

The Chelsea Piers opened in 1910 to accommodate the world’s largest and most luxurious passenger ships in the world. Midtown Hudson became the nation’s maritime gateway

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for travelers to and from Europe, continuing into the 1950s when airlines became a more popular form of luxury travel. There was a shift in use around the 1930s, when the new luxury liner piers were built north of Chelsea Piers to handle larger ships, leaving Pier 54 and 57 unused.

Plans to demolish the Chelsea Piers were presented in the 1980s, as they had become obsolete, yet in 1991 only the shed structures were torn down, leaving an open air pier with only the archway with the faded Cunard White Star Line logo.

The Chelsea Pier area is not without historical significance, as Pier 54 was the destination of the RMS Carpathia in 1912, carrying the survivors of the Titanic tragedy, Pier 59 being the original destination for the “Unsinkable Ship”. Three years later, the RMS Lusitania left Pier 54 before being torpedoed in the Atlantic, leading the movement for American Involvement in World War I.

CONTEXTUAL MAPS & POTENTIAL SITE ANALYSIS RESEARCH

PART TWO:

As the world becomes more urbanized, it is more important than ever to recognize the importance of nature and green space within an urban area. We must learn to work in harmony with the natural world to provide the adequate amenities that nature provides the human experience.

Reclaiming urban lands that are covered in concrete is a simple first step to modify the existing urban landforms we have created.

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>> MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

New York City is one of the densest cities in the country with a significant history of industrial development, especially at the water’s edge. Locating this graduate project along the Manhattan waterfront, along the Hudson River, will provide ample opportunity to experiment and learn what type of reclamation of infrastructure and land can be done to provide the urban, or synthetic, nature experience while maintaining and improving all the benefits of density.

This figure ground diagram shows the density of the Manhattan city-block, and the relative emptiness of the water’s edge mainly due to infrastructure limitations.

>>FIGURE GROUND

CHELSEA

WEST VILLAGE

TRIBECA

SOHO

GREENWICHVILLAGE

MEAT-PACKING DISTRICT

HELL’S KITCHEN

CLINTON

MIDTOWN WEST

MIDTOWN WEST

FLATIORNDISTRICT

GARMENTDISTRICT

The waterfront in this area is included in many different neighborhoods, each with a unique experiential quality and sense of place.

>>NEIGHBORHOODS

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Although a prominent means of public transit throughout Manhattan, there are currently no subway lines running near the water’s edge in this area.

>>PUBLIC TRANSIT: SUBWAY

There are many public bus routes that travel throughout the west waterfront neighborhoods, with many stops along the West Side Highway.

>>PUBLIC TRANSIT: BUS ROUTES

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This area of Manhattan is home to a diversity of median annual incomes, and is quickly becoming a popular developing area of the city.

>>MEDIAN INCOME (2005-2009)

<$25,000

$65,000-85,000

$25,000-45,000

$85,000-105,000

$45,000-65,000

$105,000+

Traditionally, the waterfront has been an industrially zoned area, lacking any residential or park areas crossing the West Side Highway.

>>MAJOR ZONING DISTRICTS

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PARK

INDUSTRIAL

RESIDENTIALCOMMERCIAL

PROJECT SITE PROPOSAL:PIER 54, 57, & PILE FIELDS

While the contexts of the major adjacent neighborhoods are highly influential and informational, the area of focus for this synthetic nature project will be centered on the reclamation and redevelopment of the West Side Highway waterfront, including: Pier 54, 57, and remaining pile fields. Incorporation of the High Line Elevated Park, visually or physically is also likely.

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14TH ST.

13TH ST.

LITTLE WEST 12TH ST.

15TH ST.

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PROJECT SITE PROPOSAL:ACCESS LIMITATIONS

>>The waterfront is completely separated from the urban fabric of the grid system by the West Side Highway. This highway has 3 Northbound, and 4 Southbound lanes of high-speed traffic with few crossing points. Spanning nearly 200’ from building edge to waterfront, the highway provides access limitations and uncomfortable obstacles for the pedestrian.

14TH ST.

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SITE EXPLORATION PHOTOS:HUDSON RIVER PARK

The site proposed for this project is located in an area recently named the Hudson River Park,. Although the park provides bike lanes, and pedestrian walkways along the water, there is no comfortable place to linger, gain shelter, or reflect upon nature.

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SITE EXPLORATION PHOTOS:HUDSON RIVER PARK

The industrial history of this area is very much present in the form of decay and abandonment instead of being celebrated as a significant aspect of the area’s history and identity.

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SITE EXPLORATION PHOTOS:HIGH LINE ELEVATED PARK

Saved from demolition in the 1990s, the recently opened High Line Elevated park parallels the waterfront and is an example of a new urban park typology; reclaiming industrial infrastructure and giving it new life for pedestrian use and recreation.

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SITE EXPLORATION PHOTOS:HIGH LINE ELEVATED PARK

At night the High Line is brilliantly lit as if displaying celebrated ruins of the infrastructure, new plant life, and surrounding buildings the park passes, creating a sense of place unlike any other in the area.

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JAN63.8

FEB63.0

MAR62.3

APR69.4

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JUN71.7

JUL70.7

AUG73.2

SEP74.7

OCT71.6

NOV68.3

DEC66.6

CLIMATE INFORMATION:MANHATTAN, NEW YORK

AVERAGE MONTHLY HUMIDITY (%)

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MONTHLY PRECIPITATION/SNOWFALL

AVERAGE MONTHLY PRECIPITATION DAYS> 0.01 INCHES

AVERAGE MONTHLY SNOWY DAYS> 0.1 INCHES

J A J OF M A NM J S D




PRECEDENT PROJECT STUDY & RESEARCH INSPIRATION

PART THREE:

NEW YORK CITY WOULD BE UNLIVABLE WITHOUT ITS PARKS, TREES, AND OPEN SPACES. THEY PROVIDE AESTHETIC RELIEF, ENHANCE OUR HEALTH ADD TO OUR ENJOYMENT, AND INCREASE OUR PROPERTY VALUES.

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michael R. bloombeRg

W57th is a hybrid between the European perimeter block and a traditional Manhattan high-rise, W57 has a unique shape which combines the advantages of both: the compactness and efficiency of a courtyard building providing density, a sense of intimacy and security, with the airiness and the expansive views of a skyscraper. By keeping three corners of the block low, and lifting the north-east corner up towards its 450ft peak, the courtyard opens views towards the Hudson River, bringing low western sun deep into the block and graciously preserving the adjacent Helena Tower’s Views of the river.

The form of the building shifts depending of the viewer’s vantage point, while appearing like a pyramid from the West-Side Highway, it turns into a dramatic glass spire from West 58th Street. The courtyard which is inspired by the classic Copenhagen urban oasis can be seen from the street and serves to extend the adjacent

W57|MANHATTANBIG ARCHITECTS

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greenery of the Hudson river park into the West 57th development. The slope of the building allows for a transition in scale between the low-rise structures to the south and the high-rise residential towers to the north and west of the site. The highly visible sloping roof consists of a simple rules surface perforated by terraces – each one unique and south-facing. The fish bone pattern of the walls are also reflected in its elevations. Every apartment gets a bay window to amplify the benefits of the generous view and balconies which encourage interaction between residents and passers-by.

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A new recreational promenade was created out of a section of retired railway in between the towns of Albisola Superiore and Celle Ligure on the coast of Italy. What was once an unused cut in the coast is now a useful and prominent tourist attraction for the area, which provides space for recreation and views of the ocean. The rehabilitation of the abandoned railroad was completed through a collaboration between 3S studio and Voarino Cairo Voarino, who began planning for the project in 2007. The project was designed to be as environmentally sensitive to the space as possible while making use of low impact materials.

The project entailed completely upgrading and renovating the entire stretch of railroad between the two coastal towns. Converted to a walking path, the promenade also includes a creation of vantage points that would encourage its use as a recreational space as well as a tourist attraction. The

PROMENADE|ITALIAN COAST3S STUDIO & VOARINO CAIRO VOARINO

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main goals of the project were to provide continuity to the pedestrian paths, increase the usability of the coastline, make use of materials with low environmental impact, increase use of public parks, and create new opportunities for tourism.

The entire project was carried out in an environmentally aware manner to protect the sensitive site and beautiful vistas. The renovation of the railway also focused on improving the safety of the tunnels as well as the reef slope. Construction began on the project in June of 2009 and was completed in the July of 2011. Bike and pedestrian paths are open and accessible to the public and benches and rest areas are provided for those who want to enjoy the view. The tunnel will also be used as a “container” for art exhibitions.

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The industrial areas in the Copenhagen suburbs are next in line for development, a new light rail is planned to interconnect 20 development zones with a total area of 11 m2, the size of the entire inner city. BIG’s Proposal suggests to transform the light rail line into a spine of dense urbanity with a series of peaks at the stations, creating a new sustainable ring of development around Copenhagen, and an artery of true urbanity pumping life into the heart of the suburbs. At certain points the rail becomes a building itself, almost like a roman aqueduct passing though the suburbs, at other points it forms small pockets of urbanity around the stations.

LOOP CITY|COPENHAGENBIG ARCHITECTS

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BIG proposes to upgrade the planned light rail by extending it to form a regional ring around Oresund connecting similar development areas, and creating a new 50 year development perspective for a cross border region between Sweden and Denmark. Loop city is linking a string of highly differentiated urban nodes, universities and working spaces in a center-less metropolitan region around a blue void.

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A new type of green infrastructure is deployed at urban locations comprising concentrated sources of CO2 production. This new infrastructure utilizes a proprietary system of industrial scale algal agriculture to sequester and consume greenhouse gas emissions (in particular CO2) in order to limit their introduction into the atmosphere, while simultaneously creating a new economic resource through the production of oxygen, biofuels, bioplastics, nutraceuticals and/or agricultural feeds. In the scenario shown, this new infrastructure manifests itself as a series of pier-like armatures linked to the ventilation system for the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel.

What is unique about this proposition is not just the introduction of large-scale green infrastructure in the context of a city, but rather the use of this infrastructure to create an exceptional public realm amenity for the city. Rather than considering

CARBON T.A.P. |MANHATTANPORT ARCHITECTS

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urban infrastructures as a necessary evil only to be hidden or mitigated, we view the renovation and re-imagination of these systems as opportunities to create new forms of civic and social domain that have the capacity to positively transform the American urban landscape.

Our proposal for a new infrastructural typology that is one part climate action; one part agricultural production; one part ecological preserve; one part public realm; and one part economic catalyst represents what should be the aspiration for all newly deployed urban infrastructures – the ability to fundamentally improve the economic and social quality of a city, as well as the associated lives of its current and future residents.

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L&A Design Group has developed an exciting contemporary bridge design as an architectural highlight of Wuxi Xidong Park, located in Jiangsu province, China. The bridge is planned to be the main connection between the north and south foreshores of the parks lake and allows visitors access to a small island destination that commands views over the water as well as café facilities and pocket gardens.

The important position, jutting out over the central water body, encouraged a dynamic design response. The design team has envisioned a signature iconic structure that is attractive, has a flowing modern form expressing the importance of Wuxi’s relationship with water and is functional in its connections to the island, foreshores and allowing boats to pass underneath its elevation.

Designed as a whole volume, the bridge presents unique curves and a platform that widens as

WUXI XIDONG PARk BRIDGE|CHINAL&A DESIGN GROUP

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the bridge crosses the island. The platform creates a focus for the bridge maximizing views out across the lake under a shaded canopy, integrates ramp access to the island and forms an intimate space for the cafe underneath.

To reduce the long linear scale of the bridge an “S” shape plan was created to provide closer vistas for people accessing the park from both sides of the lake. As the bridge reaches its island destination the shape stimulates a dramatic interaction between architecture, landscape and water. Construction will utilize lightweight steel structures, light colored outer panel skins for a sleek look that can be elegantly lit up at night and polished timber detailing to tactile surfaces such as seating and railing.

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CONCEPTUAL IDEAS, METHODS, DIAGRAM, & MODEL EXPLORATION

PART FOUR:

I chose to experiment with physical modeling as a means of design exploration for investigation of possible systems and structure as well as to help identify the proposed site along the waterfront. Using these techniques I feel I can more clearly comprehend an abstract method of obtaining data for a specific place and hope to refine this method in additional vector studies in the pre-design phase.

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kINETIC TECTONICSRESPONSIVE DESIGN MODULE

This model is an exploratory study of kinetic tectonics leading to potential responsive design modular units that could be applied in a variety of scales, materials, applications, and programmatic uses. Each module is composed of 2 identical pieces that when attached to one another create a tension based structure system. The module can have an open void, or solid volume appearance. When the modules are applied together they form a variable material sheet, capable of kinetic movement.

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IMPLIED CONNECTIONS:STREET GRID, PARKS, TRANSIT, & VIEW CORRIDORS

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The goal of this study was to better visualize the unseen, or implied, vector connections of the waterfront, High Line, and various typologies throughout the city. Using this method of string and frame composition allowed me to better understand the strength of the connections based upon tension capabilities of the material. It also forced me to identify what is significant to map, and to follow a set of logical rules for the diagram. I chose to map connections of the street grid, parks, the High Line, public transit stops, and view corridors highlighting the waterfront and urban street wall. Each frame is individually mapped, and can be viewed in conjunction with the others by simply stacking the frames.

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IMPLIED CONNECTIONS II:STREET GRID, HIGH LINE PARK & ACCESS, TRANSIT ACCESS, VIEW CORRIDORS, ZONING, BUILDING USE, & BUILDING HEIGHT

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The goal of this study was similar to the first implied connections diagram model, identifying unseen vectors of importance throughout the waterfront area, but with a refined set of rules including additional elements in my mapping: the street grid, High Line, view corridors highlighting the waterfront and urban street wall, major zoning areas, individual building use, Access points to the High Line, as well as building heights.

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DESIGN GOALS &PRELIMINARY PROCESS SCHEDULE

PART FIVE:

Using sustainability, and responding to the built environment as a means of design method, project goals include: Improving Access and Mobility of the Pedestrian to the Water’s Edge, The opportunity for residents to live a Healthy Lifestyle, The Generation of On-Site Energy to utilize throughout various programs of this project, Providing Sustainable Food Production at a scale appropriate for the neighborhood, Reclaiming and Emphasizing Nature to provide an escape from the concrete jungle that is Manhattan, and providing a New Identity to the currently naked edge of the Meat Packing District and Chelsea Neighborhoods.

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W1 W5W2 W6W3 W7W4

Clear & definitive analysis & understanding of program & context

Experimentation for schematic design concept & experimental models, plans,

sections, elevations, etc.

Refinement of sensibilities drawn from program

& context analysis

Development for schematic design study models, plans,

sections, elevations, etc.

DESIGN SCHEDULESPRING 2012

W9 W10 W11 W13W8 W12 W14

Refined exploration for schematic design

bridging into design development, drawings,

models, etcCommunicative

components substantially convey overall project

Refinements and explorations for design

development

Final Comprehensive Project Reviews

Experimentation of detail and dissemination technique

Refinement of detail and dissemination technique,

all intended final drawings, models, and other

communicative components for final are fully iterated Project Book

BIBLIOGRAPHYPART SIX:

Bjarke Ingles - Yes Is More. Interview. BIG. Web. 11 Sept. 2011. <www.big.dk/>.

“Chelsea - New York City Neighborhood - NYC.” New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife, Shopping, Politics, Movies. Web. 3 Dec. 2011. <http://nymag.com/realestate/articles/neighborhoods/chelsea.htm>.

“Chelsea, New York Travel Planner -- New York Magazine’s Visitor’s Guide.” New York Magazine -- NYC Guide to Restaurants, Fashion, Nightlife, Shopping, Politics, Movies. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://nymag.com/visitorsguide/neighborhoods/chelsea/>.

Chun, Man. “ExPorting Land.” Thesis. Rhode Island School of Design, 2011. Print.

Frampton, Kenneth, and John Cava. “Introduction: Reflections on the Scope of the

Tectonic.” Studies in Tectonic Culture: the Poetics of Construction in Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Architecture. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1995. Print.

Frampton, Kenneth, and Melvyn A. Hill. The Status of Man and the Status of HisObjects: A Reading of The Human Condition.

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Hannah Arendt, the Recovery of the Public World. New York: St. Martin’s, 1979. Print.

Frascari, Marco. “The Tell-the-Tale Detail.” Via 7 : the Building of Architecture. Cambridge, M.I.T. Press. Print.

“GVSHP | Detail.” GVSHP | Home. 13 Oct. 2006. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. <http://www.gvshp.org/_gvshp/preservation/gansevoort/gansevoort-04-11-07.htm>.

Heynen, Hilde. Architecture and Modernity: a Critique. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 1999.Print.

Holl, Steven. Steven Holl: Idea and Phenomena. Baden, Switzerland: Lars Müller, 2002.Print.

The Humane Metropolis. Web. 11 Dec. 2011. <http://www.humanemetropolis.org>.

Ingels, Bjarke. Yes Is More: an Archicomic on Architectural Evolution. Köln: Evergreen, 2010. Print.

Koolhaas, Rem. Delirious New York: a Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan. New York:Monacelli, 1994. Print.

Koolhaas, Rem. “’Life in the Metropolis’ or ‘The Culture of Congestion’” ArchitecturalDesign 47.5 (1977): 320-30. Print.

Kwinter, Sanford. “The Complex and the Singular.” Architectures of Time. Cambridge,MA: MIT, 2001. Print.

Mamata, Bora. “The Urban Ascension.” Thesis. London, The Bartlett School of Architecture, 2009. Print.

“OASIS Map.” NYC Open Accessible Space Information System (OASIS). Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://oasisnyc.org/map.aspx>.

Pierce, James. Architectural Drawings and the Intent of the Architect. Essay

“Planning & Construction.” Hudson River Park. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. <http://www.hudsonriverpark.org/construction/index.asp>.

Tschumi, Bernard, and Irene Cheng. The State of Architecture at the Beginning of the21st Century. New York: Monacelli, 2003. Print.

Vidler, Anthony. “Diagrams of Diagrams: Architectural Abstraction and ModernRepresentation.” Representations 72.1 (2000): 1-20. Print.

Virilio, Paul. “Improbable Architecture.” The Lost Dimension. New York, NY:Semiotext(e), 1991. Print.¬

WPA 2.0 : WPA 2.0. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://wpa2.aud.ucla.edu/info/>.

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Synthetic Nature: Reclaiming the Lost Waterfront of Manhattan

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