It seems that new green public spaces are being unveiled for New York every week. No sooner had the final section of the High Line recently opened, than plans for a similar space in Queens were announced. Now, New Yorkers can look forward to a new public park quite literally on the Hudson River.
Pier55 will be a 2.7-acre (1.09-hectare) public space and events venue. Designed by Heatherwick Studio, which has also designed the proposed and similar London Garden Bridge, it will provide spaces for relaxing, walking and enjoying "lush lawns and pathways."
Design renderings show the park slightly offshore in its lower west side of Manhattan location. Visitors will be able to access the park via piers that reach out to what will be an island built on piles. A variety of different environments will be available to visitors, including trees, secluded trails and open grasslands. There will be spaces for exercising and other actvities, as well as an amphitheater space overlooking the river.
The project will apparently cost in excess of US$130 million is being funded primarily by the Diller and von Furstenberg families. "New York has always reminded me of Venice, so I am happy the time has come to properly honor its waterways,” says Diane von Furstenberg. "What better than a park on the city’s western bank to rest, watch a sunset or a performance?".
Pier55 will replace the existing and deteriorating Pier 54 and will be run by a non-profit organization in partnership with the Hudson River Park Trust. Construction is expected to begin in 2016.
