Thomas Heatherwick New York little Island floating park officially opened at pier 55

Little Island NYC
Image source: Elvert Barnes/ Flickr

Little Island park designed by Thomas Heatherwick opens in New York

On the Hudson River, a new public space designed by Thomas Heatherwick has recently opened - a park that stands directly on the water on 132 concrete columns.

New York's public space has been increasing in recent years, such as the High Line, which uses the old railway space, and the Domino Park, a park renovated with an old sugar factory. More leisure space is also combined with multi-functional design, giving the space more uses. The park and outdoor theater "Little Island" designed by the British design genius Heatherwick opened in the Hudson River, creating another highlight space for New York. This small island, known as the "floating park", was donated by billionaire Barry Diller with a gift of 260 million to New York City, and will be officially opened to the public on May 21, 2021!

The park is located in Chelsea, an area on the west side of Manhattan, adjacent to the southern end of the High Line. The design, completed in 8 years, covers an area of about 4,000 square meters. The design is inspired by the piers under Pier 54, an old sightseeing pier in Seattle. For Heatherwick, these columns extending from the water are not only supportive The park also provides a space for creatures such as fish to breed.

The island is connected to the shore land by two bridges. 132 mushroom-shaped concrete columns are used to embed the river bottom. At the same time, the columns of different heights create an undulating ground for the park. In terms of design, unlike buildings generally located on the water, each pier in the park can support a weight of 350 tons, so it can withstand extreme changes in water flow and avoid damage to the park. In terms of construction, the structural parts are first made of precast concrete into 39 shapes on land, and transported to the shore of the park by barge, and then form the top of each pier column in a petal-like manner, and fill it with soil to make the whole park become the center of the park. platform.

After completing the platform, the landscape design team planted 400 kinds of plants and 100 kinds of trees in it, and selected evergreen plants with leaves all year round to ensure that people walking on it will not cause damage to the platform due to vibration. There are currently more than 540 meters of walkways in the park that surround the viewing area and performance space, and people can enjoy the waterfront landscape from every angle. There are also three performance venues in the park, including an amphitheater with a capacity of 700 people, consisting of wooden benches, a central space with a capacity of 3,500 people, and a performance stage with a capacity of 200 people. In particular, these performance venues have a backstage space hidden under the platform, which can be accessed by users only through one of the connecting bridges.

When the island was built, it was once suspended because it was ruled by the court that the structure would hinder the river view and affect the growth of living things. This park in New York has thus added a public space close to the waterfront and an interesting urban landscape.