Custom Crafting a New Urban Landmark
Sitting on 5.5 acres directly across from the Whitney Museum in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, Hudson River Park’s Gansevoort Peninsula is a public outdoor setting unlike any other found throughout Hudson River Park. Developed on fill as opposed to a pier, the site pairs direct beach access to the Hudson River with restored salt marsh habitat and a wealth of community-focused recreation and relaxation opportunities.
Working closely with the community through a series of well-attended public meetings and a design charrette, landscape architecture firm Field Operations developed a plan for Gansevoort Peninsula that includes a little bit of something for everyone. Weaving together active and passive uses, the park incudes a full-size soccer field that can double as a little league baseball field, a sand beach lined with Landscape Forms Stretch umbrellas and Loll Designs Adirondack chairs, a dog run, an outdoor gym, a large art installation titled “Day’s End” by David Hammons, a concession space, and numerous places to sit, lounge, picnic and socialize.
Based on previous experiences designing the sought-after urban public spaces throughout Hudson River Park, Field Operations knew that achieving the right quantity and quality of seating was a key aspect of the Gansevoort Peninsula plan. To engineer and manufacture these key permanent site furnishings, Field Operations reached out to Landscape Forms’ Studio 431 custom division to take on the task.
The Studio 431 team’s work at Gansevoort Peninsula includes custom lounge benches strategically placed for visitors to enjoy stunning sunset views along the west side of the park, along with a range of custom backed and backless benches and a series of custom picnic tables. Crafted from powdercoated metal and Kebony, a sustainably sourced, naturally weathering outdoor wood, the custom seating solutions bring to Gansevoort Peninsula a distinctive sense of modern elegance with the robustness required for such a popular urban public park.
The unique custom design, however, did come with some unique challenges. “We have these really tall back benches in the dog run, the idea being that the backs would serve as part of the fence. But because of the height and the heft of the wood, Studio 431 anticipated some deflection in these pieces,” describes Cricket Day, Landscape Architect and Senior Associate at Field Operations. “During fabrication, Studio 431 came up with a solution that joins the benches together with a plate such that they’re stabilized as a single unit. It wasn’t an issue we foresaw, but Studio 431 was able to resolve it early in the process, which was incredibly handy.”
Since its public opening in late 2023, Gansevoort Peninsula has gained quite the reputation — and not just for being Manhattan’s first and only beach. In all its unique recreation opportunities, sought-after relaxation spaces, sprawling social settings, and rejuvenating natural spaces, it has succeeded in consistently connecting the community and drawing quite the crowd.
Learn more about Studio 431, Landscape Forms Custom Division at landscapeforms.com/431.
Gansevoort Peninsula
Location: New York City, New York, USA.
Studio 431 Custom Elements: Custom Lounge Benches, Custom Backed and Backless Benches, Custom Picnic Tables
Landscape Forms Elements: Stretch Umbrellas, Chase Park Litters, Bola Bike Racks, Loll Designs Adirondack Chairs
Design Partners: Field Operations
Team Members: Hudson River Park Trust
Photography: Kate Glicksberg Photography
Landscape Forms is a proud sponsor of World Landscape Architecture