Hudson River Park, Segment 5 in New York

• Architects: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc.
• Project Year: 2011 – 2010

Segment 5 of Hudson River Park runs from Pier 64 south to Pier 54 along the formerly industrial waterfront of the Hudson River. The northern portion of this segment, christened Chelsea Cove by the design team, will combine three individual piers into one of the largest open spaces within Hudson River Park. Chelsea Cove will feature a broad central lawn, reconnecting the vertical city with the drama of the horizon, as well as an enclosing grove that separates the park from the highway. The cove will include a skate park, a carousel, and an entry garden designed in collaboration with Lynden B. Miller. It also will include a landscape installation by environmental artist Meg Webster. Pier 64, which forms the north side of the cove, rises gently toward an elevated prospect, with privileged views up and down river, as well as back toward the city.

Chelsea Cove

At the southern portion of Segment 5, Pier 54, which will be constructed in a later phase, will feature welcoming areas of shade and seating in addition to spaces designed to host large-scale events such as movie nights. The design of the new pier will incorporate a work by the artist Justen Ladda that records the shape of the shadow that the giant ocean liner would have cast on the pier.

Hudson River Park built almost exclusively on piers

Hudson River Park is built almost exclusively on piers, relieving platforms, and landfill. As the MVVA team discovered during the Schematic Design phase of Segment 5, all three of these categories present unique challenges to park design. The majority of existing timber pile-supported marine structure had to be rebuilt in order to guarantee the park’s fifty-year minimum life span. The Segment 5 design team worked closely with the Hudson River Park Trust, a design review committee consisting of representatives from state and city agencies, and a panel of community members to develop a plan that would be suitable to both the regional needs of the park and the needs of the park’s neighbors.

One end of the park

Tags: New York

Category: Public Landscapes

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