Soissons Landing and the South Battery are part of the Park and Public space master plan designed by the acclaimed landscape architecture firm West 8. The first phase includes 30 acres of new park in the center of the Island that has always been off limits to the public.

South Battery | BEFORE

South Battery | AFTER

Visitors taking the ferry from Manhattan will disembark at the new Soissons Landing. They will be greeted by a new, lush lawn, dozens of London Plane trees and shrubs, and the new Welcome
Wall. The Welcome Wall provides visitors with a map and information including the day’s programming and upcoming events

Behind the Scenes Tours

Join The Trust for Governors Island or members of the West 8 design team for a sneak peak of the construction of the 30 acres of new park and public spaces at the center of the Island. This tour takes visitors through the park construction site. Space on the tours is limited and is available on a first-come, first served basis. Tours begin and end at Liggett Arch. Hardhats and vests will be provided and closed-toe footwear is required. Children over the age of 7 are welcome on tours.

The first tour takes place on Saturday 25 May at 11:15 AM and Sunday 26 May at 3 PM, rain or shine. The Trust’s president, Leslie Koch, will personally lead the Sunday tour. These tours are first come, first served and begin @ Liggett Arch. Advanced registration is not required. Visitors over the age of 7 are welcome and all participants must wear closed toed shoes. Waivers, hard hats and safety vests will be provided.

Dates of tours are as follows |
Saturday, May 25, 2013 (11:30am – 12:15pm)
Sunday, May 26, 2013 (3:00 – 3:45pm)
Saturday, June 29, 2013 (11:30am – 12:15pm)
Sunday, June 30, 2013 (3:00 – 3:45pm)
Saturday, July 27, 2013 (11:30am – 12:15pm)
Sunday, July 28, 2013 (3:00 – 3:45pm)
Saturday, August 24, 2013 (11:30am – 12:15pm)
Sunday, August 25, 2013 (3:00 – 3:45pm)
Saturday, September 28, 2013 (11:30am – 12:15pm)
Sunday, September 29, 2013 (3:00 – 3:45pm

Governors Island opens to the public this Saturday, May 25 and will be open every Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Monday through the end of September.

More information about this years events on Governors Island

IMAGE CREDITS | The Trust for Governors Island

SWA’s design extended sustainable measures as far as possible, including integrating storm drainage and five miles of bicycle-pedestrian paths into an extensive open space system of parks, greenways, ponds, gardens, and sports facilities. SWA’s design aesthetic focuses on integrating these initiatives in an authentically local manner, employing systems that work best with the local environmental condition. This balance between goals of sustainability and local cultural authenticity propels the project towards a cohesive network of program, circulation and outdoor spaces to serve the community. The project ultimately incorporates affordable housing in a neighborhood setting, while strengthening on-campus involvement, and creates a distinctive place to live in a pedestrian-oriented and bike-friendly environment.

UC Davis West Village | Davis CA. USA | SWA Group
Project Team |
John Wong
Cinda Gilliland
Elizabeth Shreeve
Al Dewitt
Kat Sun
Caroline Templeton
Mary Gourlay

Consultants + Collaborators |
Client | West Village Community Partnership, LLC (WVCP)
Carmel Partners, Inc.
Owner | University of California, Davis
Mixed-Use Architects | Studio E Architects (formerly Mithun)
Student Housing Architects | MVE Institutional
Landscape | Green Works P.C.,
Civil Engineering | Cunningham Engineering

Submitted by SWA Group

Fisktorget Plaza | Karlskrona Sweden | Thorbjörn Andersson with Sweco Architects
Landscape design: Thorbjörn Andersson, Sweco architects.
Design team: PeGe Hillinge, Andreas Johansson.
Artist: Pål Svensson

Today, the BMW Guggenheim Lab announced the publication of 100 Urban Trends: A Glossary of Ideas from the two BMW Guggenheim Labs held in New York and Mumbai. Complementing the Berlin Lab trends published in November 2012, the New York and Mumbai editions round out a series of glossaries showcasing the most talked-about urban trends from the Lab’s three global stops to date, and create a new resource for understanding the way people relate to and live in cities. All three glossaries, which have been written by Lab curator Maria Nicanor, curatorial assistants Amara Antilla and Stephanie Kwai, and the Lab’s resident writer, Christine McLaren, can be accessed online in a dynamic interactive feature designed by Collective Assembly at 100urbantrends.org The glossaries, designed by graphic designers Sulki & Min, are also available on the BMW Guggenheim Lab website.


“These glossaries are meant to further the conversations started by the Lab and spark analyses of these three cities and comparisons of the respective urban environments,” stated Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. “Integral to these glossaries is the concept of cities as hubs for ideas, and how the Lab has captured some of the prevailing thoughts citizens and experts alike have about their cities.”

The glossaries include trends such as the following, with details of Lab programs that relate to the trend and a list of related terms:

· 10,000 Honks: celebrity cricket player Sachin Tendulkar, who visited the Mumbai Lab, suggested a rule that would limit every car to 10,000 honks after the time of its purchase. The regulation would help control sound pollution in Mumbai’s streets and fund urban noise-reduction projects, as drivers would need to purchase any additional honks from the government. (Mumbai)

· Glocalism: combining “local” and “global,” this term speaks to two forces at play in all neighborhoods. In a climate shaped by rapid globalization and multinational corporations, widespread sameness is evident in any cosmopolitan hub. Conversely, each city has its own local, vernacular traditions. Glocalism is the merging of these two seemingly opposing forces. (New York)

· Retrofitting Infrastructure: the reimagining of an existing piece of major organizational infrastructure (e.g., transportation, water, sewage, and electricity). More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities. Although cities are more energy efficient than areas of suburban sprawl, they still face challenges to sustainable living—mainly due to the fact that the major infrastructure necessary to provide essential needs for residents and businesses has already been put in place. Rather than expending additional energy, resources, and funds on demolishing heavy infrastructure to improve city living, retrofitting infrastructure has become an alternative solution. (Mumbai)

“The aim of the exhibition is to take the temperature of three particular cities during a specific period of time—New York, Berlin, and Mumbai between 2011 and 2013—and to understand the ideas that city experts and non-experts discussed for the present and future of cities,” said Lab curator Maria Nicanor. “By looking at learnings from the cities the Lab has visited alongside new ideas from other global urban centers, we are able to gain a more comprehensive understanding of cities today.”

100 Urban Trends from New York, Berlin, and Mumbai Labs to Be Explored in BMW Guggenheim Lab Exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York from October 11, 2013 to January 5, 2014

SOURCE | BMW Guggenheim Lab

As it approaches its 100th anniversary in 2016, Navy Pier is set to embark on a journey that culminates in its reimagining as an iconic attraction that will “re-connect Chicago to the Lake, to culture and to spectacle.” Work on the Pier’s “Centennial Vision” redevelopment is scheduled to begin this fall.

Redevelopment of the Pier is part of a major public-private infrastructure program to boost Chicago’s tourism and convention and trade show business, stimulate economic growth and job creation and enhance the quality of life for residents of the region.

The redesign of the Pier’s public spaces, or Pierscape, is the product of collaboration between the Navy Pier Inc. board and staff, a design team led by James Corner Field Operations (JCFO), a New York-based landscape architecture and urban design firm, and the City of Chicago. The Chicago office of the global architecture firm Gensler has worked on redesigning the interior spaces and has served as executive architect, coordinating the exterior and interior redesign. Gensler also played a key role in creation of the Centennial Vision.

In addition to the creation of a new Pierscape, the redevelopment will include major interior renovations. What is now known as the South Arcade, the interior space adjacent to South Dock, will be transformed into a Chicago-themed specialty food and restaurant marketplace drawing from the city’s rich culinary traditions. The Family Pavilion will be refreshed and opened up, extending the marketplace feel of the redesigned South Arcade but with a greater focus on retail. There, too, the focus will be on showcasing all things Chicago. The upper level of the Pavilion will be home to the expandedChicago Children’s Museum, expected to open in 2016.

The first phase of the program starting in the fall includes the Gateway Park fountain, plaza and promenade, South Dock, South Arcade, Family Pavilion renovation, Chicago Children’s Museum expansion and the addition of dining and entertainment in the East End entertainment district. Detailed design and completion of Gateway Park, Crystal Garden, Pier Park and the East End Park will be undertaken in later phases as funding becomes available.

Throughout, the redesign puts a premium on environmentally sustainable practices in its use and management of water and energy, building materials and waste reduction. The project anticipates the achievement of SITES™ certification—a new rating system akin to LEED that aspires to transform land development and management practices for landscapes with or without buildings.

IMAGES | James Corner Field Operations – Courtesy of Navy Pier Inc
TEXT after the break – Navy Pier Inc

BEFORE

The Plaza transforms this previously barren and underutilized space—with deteriorated asphalt paths and muddy lawns—into a new social hub of campus life, and a new meeting place for city residents, University affiliates, and visitors alike. The idea was to create a destination for a wide range of both organized and spontaneous activities, and to encourage people to linger, to relax, to study, and to socialize. The project is the first new space to be developed out of President Drew Faust’s Common Spaces Initiative, which looks to create a series of indoor and outdoor spaces across the University that draw people together and generate better opportunities for campus-wide interaction and community-building. This specific project was initiated due to the need to address waterproofing replacement and surface repairs required for the underlying tunnel.

A field of large, customized, light-color pavers creates an active threshold between the Yard and the North Campus—and a flexible surface for hosting small and large performances, events, student activities, and casual hanging out. The surface is designed as a “plug-and-play” field, with embedded foundations for multiple tent and canopy configurations and water and power utilities to supply event and performance needs.

Image Credit | Christopher Hight

A scattering of twisting wood benches occupies the southern edge of the plaza, and a portion of the center. The benches are shaped to accommodate bodies of different types and to allow people to sit and lounge in a number of ways—alone, in groups, with a friend or lover.

The benches glow at night, appearing to float above the paver surface—thus animating the space and inviting people in at all hours. The benches are complemented by movable tables and chairs, which allow people additional choice and flexibility in seating arrangements.

The north edge of the plaza is partially occupied by a new grove of multi-stem ginkgo trees, staghorn sumac, and ferns. Paved gaps in the grove create quiet and shady seating nooks, a garden edge for studying and watching activity beyond. Additional shade is created by new trees planted inside the historic Yard fence. A red brick sidewalk on the south and asphalt and asphalt pavers on the north allow for the vernacular campus landscape of the Yard and North Campus to have presence within the Plaza space, and help to scale it down. This is especially important on the northeast edge, where the asphalt blocks transition back to the asphalt and lawn surfaces nearby—and the setting of Peter Walker’s iconic Tanner Fountain of 1984 (currently undergoing restoration).

The transition from concrete to asphalt block to planted and lawn surfaces also perform important roles in the passive collection and infiltration of stormwater for irrigation. This is part of a broader sustainability agenda, which also includes the re-use of porcelain waste from the manufacture of toilets and sinks as aggregate in the concrete pavers; soil moisture sensing irrigation systems; low-energy LED lighting; and customized structural soils that allow for more planting in very limited open planting areas.

DIAGRAMS | SAMPLE OF POSSIBLE CONFIGURATIONS

The Plaza at Harvard University | Cambridge USA |  Stoss Landscape Urbanism

IMAGES | Stoss Landscape Urbanism and Christopher Hight(as noted)

TEXT | Stoss Landscape Urbanism

Tree planted in memory to Olympic architect | ITV
A large oak tree will be planted in memory of John Hopkins, who was responsible for the London 2012 parklands, transforming an urban corner of east London into an ecological park. The oak tree will be planted in heart of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, in the newly named Hopkins Field.

With Security, Trade Center Faces New Isolation | David W. Dunlap | NY Times
“…neighbors and planners worry that the trade center will once again feel cut off from its surroundings, a place where security credentials prevail, traffic is unwelcome and every step is scrutinized,”

Public gardens: A new model blossoms | Adrian Higgins | Washington Post
Brady is a Washington-based landscape architect who has spent much of the past five years working on the garden[New York Botanical Garden’s new native plant garden] with her colleagues at Oehme van Sweden Landscape Architects — OvS — alongside a team at the botanic garden.

Landscape Designer Margie Ruddick Brings a New Meaning to Green Design | Smithsonian.com
The Smithsonian interviews Margie Ruddick winner of the 2013 National Design Award

The ultimate roof garden | Francine Raymond | Telegraph
“The ultimate outdoor space: The Kensington Roof Gardens”

Human Scale at Hudson Yards | J. Michael Welton | Huffington Post
“More recently, NBW trumped entries by OLIN Partners and Sasaki in a competition for the design of 14 acres of grand parks and open spaces at Hudson Yards in Manhattan…”

CCNY Landscape Architecture thesis project wins Wayne Grace Prize | CCNY
“Chiara Di Palma, a 2012 graduate of the Spitzer School of Architecture’s Master of Landscape Architecture program, proposed a solution that would enable New York’s container ports to receive larger ships. At the same time, it would promote a healthier coastal ecology.”

It’s easy to go green, says local landscape architect Michael Felton | James Qualtrough |Isle News
“In recognition of Green Office Week, which runs from 13th to 17th May 2013, local landscape architect, Michael Felton, is encouraging island businesses to transform their offices into plant friendly, green environments.”

EVENT | Chelsea Garden Show 2013
The RHS 2013 Chelsea Garden Show opens this week celebrating 100 years.

IMAGE CREDIT: Flickr User |  The Department for Culture, Media and Sport

With four awards for environmental excellence already under its “green” belt, Westminster Pier Park, a 3.84-hectare park situated along the Fraser River on a derelict industrial brownfield site, opened to the public in June 2012. The removal of 3,600 tonnes of contaminated soil and the use of piers instead of fill in the river contributed to the restoration of the site’s damaged ecology. The introduction of new habitats provides biodiversity for the riparian foreshore and river ecology with the goal of increasing fish and wildlife habitat. The urban park is built from robust, easy to maintain, man-made and natural materials that can be recycled at the end of its 75-year life span, a vital goal of the City of New Westminster.  With sustainability as an integral part of the park development, the design is not only sensitive to the site’s current ecological needs but also to its future environmental impact.

“Place-making” was another key component of making the park socially sustainable.  Achieving this called for innovation and creativity in design and programming of the park, as well as connections to the urban core and to the Fraser River. Park spaces include festival lawns, gathering areas, playgrounds and sports activity areas. The character of the park reflects the historic industrial waterfront by incorporating long timber piers and piles, heavy timber structures, and timber and metal furnishings. Integrated into the boardwalk is a metal memory band that runs the length of the park, and includes words that reflect the history of New Westminster.  These coupled with hinge loungers, inspired by the hand trucks once used on the industrial site, pay homage to the history of the area.

Westminster Pier Park provides a place for people to gather and recreate, enjoy nature, learn about the historic importance of the city, and heals the river environment for future generations.

Westminster Pier Park | New Westminster Canada | PWL Partnership

Prime Park Designer: PWL Partnership Landscape Architects Inc.

Prime Project Manager / Engineer: WorleyParsons

Geotechnical Engineer: exp

Shoreline Ecologist: GL Williams and Associates Inc.

Architect: Dialog

Jet Grout Consultant: Sea to Sky Geotech Inc.

Lighting Consultant: Total Lighting Solutions

Mechanical Engineer: Perez Engineering Ltd.

Client: City of New Westminster

Photography: PWL Partnership Landscape Architects Inc.

MIAMI BEACH SQUARE from BIG on Vimeo.

We propose to roll out an urban fabric of paths and plazas, parks and gardens that forms an archipelago of urban oases throughout the site. At the heart of it – we introduce a central square to become the pivoting point of the entire neighborhood. Becoming the front door to the convention center, and the convention hotel, a front lawn to the revitalized Jackie Gleason Theatre, a town square for the city hall, an outdoor arena for the Latin American Cultural Museum, and the red carpet for the big botanical ball room.

The square creates a series of intuitive connections across the site – a diagonal that connects the Soundscape to the Botanical Gardens and Holocaust Memorial. A north-south connection joins the Collins Canal to Lincoln Road and naturally channels the flow of convention visitors to the liveliness of Lincoln Road. A green network of public spaces that stitches together all of the adjacent neighborhoods – formerly separated by the convention center – into a complete and coherent community – for both visitors and residents. All public programs – old and new come together on the square. All great cities have a great square – this will be Miami Beach Square.

 “Rather than scattering all the program across the 52 acre site we have decided to concentrate it around the center piece of our public realm – Miami Beach Square bringing focus to the renovated Jackie Gleason Theater, the entrance of the convention center and for the first time ever creating a worthy civic presence to Miami Beach City Hall.” Jamie Maslyn Larsen, West 8, Creator of Soundscape Park

By popular demand we have found a way to preserve and enhance the architecture and programming of the Jackie Gleason Theatre. By making it all public at the street level – opening up lobbies, restaurants and cafes on all sides – we make the Gleason a lively centerpiece in this new neighborhood. Towards the Square we propose to extend the fly tower with a performing arts center with various spaces for rehearsal and offering a visual connection to the public. Adjacent to the Jackie Gleason Theater sits the new Latin American Cultural Museum consisting of a base of public programs opening up on the square. The building form creates a covered shaded event space on the square blurring the transition between inside and outside.

Rather than being the hermetic mono programmatic box that the Miami Beach Convention Center is today – a single program at the size of an urban block-  we propose to consider the Convention Center an actual urban block complete with different programs  – grown together to form a continuous architecture. A gradual transition from public to private – and from cultural to civic – conference to residential turns a stroll around the block into an experience of continuous variation. Along the entire west adjacent to the various gardens and the new square – the main entrances to the convention Center and Conference Center occupies the ground. The hotel lobby spans the entire south elevation in continuation of the Convention Center lobby. The Hotel façade as pulled back forming a cascade of terraces for the south facing hotel rooms – decreasing the perceived height seen from the Gleason.

The Roof of the Convention Center is framed by a green roof drawing the outline of the urban block – framing the hotel gardens and the roof parking interspersed with shade giving landscapes. As a reoccurring annual event we propose to sponsor an art foundation that will deliver a roof art piece to cover the remaining roof surface turning it into a giant ever changing canvas seen from the air as well as the roof terrace of the hotel. An ever changing giant canvas that will annually challenge contemporary artists with an architectural scale canvas – seen from the roofs and penthouses of adjacent buildings, from airplanes and google earth.

BIG with West 8, Fentress, JPA propose Miami Beach Square 

BIG Team Credit List:

Creative Director: Bjarke Ingels, Partners-in-Charge: Thomas Christoffersen, Kai-Uwe Bergmann, Project Leader: Leon Rost, Project Team: Romea Muryn, Blake Smith, Carolien Schippers, Doug Stechschulte, Chris Junkin, Choonghye Lee, Kenneth Amoah, Ivy Hume, David Dottelonde, Birk Daugaard, Christoffer Gotfredsen, Maya Shapova, Manon Gicquel, David Splitter

Project Team Credit List:
Development Team: Portman Holdings, CMC, Bal Harbor Shops, Cirque du Soleil

Design / Planning Team: BIG (master plan and architecture), West 8 (public realm), John Portman & Associates (hotel), Fentress (convention center), Revuelta Architects (local)

Consultant Team: Schwebke Shishkin (Civil), Plummer Associates (Traffic) , HDC Associates (Estimating, Scheduling), CMC Group Construction, Greenberg Traurig (Legal), Desimone (Structural), Space Syntax (Pedestrian Accessibility), MIT/Carlo Ratti Associati (Technology), Lead Pencil Studio (Art Consultation)

PR / Marketing / Branding Team: Garber & Goodman (Public Relations),
Cinnamon Associates (Public Relations)

Feasibility Team: Courtney Lord (Retail), BRC (Entertainment), Noell Consulting (Residential)

Financing Team: Piper Jaffray, Brookfield, HFF

Production Team: Squint Opera (Animation), MIR (Renderings), Kennedy Fabricators (Model)

IMAGES | Courtesy of BIG

TEXT | BIG