Heatherwick Studio set the original brief to create a pavilion on an enlarged waterfront jetty aside for the opportunity to rethink what a pier could be. On top of the stumps remains of a former pier the studio realized a completely new park as an oasis away from busy city life.
Typical pier structures are flat, but Heatherwick lifts the surface to create an exciting height difference. The elevation allows for new sightlines to the park and lookout points over the river. At the same time the lifted corner lets direct sunlight reach the marine habitat that formed over time in between the piles.
“We had the idea to make an entirely new type of pier as a lush rectangular garden island, connected to the land with generous gang-planks as bridges, aligned to the street grid of New York.”
- Thomas Heatherwick, Founder of Heatherwick Studio
By placing the island away from the shore, connected by gang-planks aligned to the street grid, the designers gave themselves permission to create a world in itself. Something different where new experiences can happen.
For the pod shaped columns Heatherwick was inspired by ice patterns that formed around the piles when the water freezes. The designers reinterpreted this into a tessellated pattern that appears organic. The ‘Cairo pentagon’ rationalizes the structure’s geometry and allows for invisible repetitions.
“Arup is thrilled to have contributed groundbreaking technical solutions, leveraging digital fabrication and parametric modeling that deliver the project’s ambitious architectural vision and create a truly iconic urban oasis.”
- David Farnsworth, Principal at Arup
The 132 precast concrete pots were made possible by Arup by using a 3D Rebar Modeling system and robotically milled foam formwork. In five stages; first the piling, then precast elements were fabricated, followed by on-site erection, cast in place structural slab to tie it all together, and finally the finish work.
The park comes with a 700-seat amphitheatre, a 200-seat spoken word stage and a flexible venue with capacity for 3,500 at the center. A network of paths, stairs, and boulder scrambles create multiple routes to and from each of the destinations. Landscape designer MNLA fitted the park with 400 different species of trees, shrubs, grasses and perennials.
