Earlier this year Related Companies sealed the deal on New York’s Hudson Yards development, and we’re excited to announce that the competition to design Hudson Park and Boulevard is now coming to a close. Although the Hudson Yards Development Corporation has yet to formally announce a winner, Related has let slip that Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates will likely be the designers of the approximately 4-acre site! The project will convert a semi-industrial area into a lush green space complete with a linear park that will provide a link between the Hudson Rail Yards (located due south of the site) and 42nd Street.
By now the Hudson Yards project may seem like old news in New York, but as the Hudson Park and Boulevard competition comes to a close– this old news may very well become a real urban park. A necessary component of the design was the proposal’s consideration for present and future environmental concerns. Part of MVVA‘s response was to recognize the inherent urbanity of the site and to anticipate the space’s future need to provide for a diverse popluation. The landscape architecture firm says they took snippets of inspiration from their Union Square plan, a well-recognized and heavily-trafficked part of New York’s East side. The area is a stop along several subway lines and is home to a farmers’ market that takes place four out of seven days out of the week.
Perhaps taking a hint from the Hudson River Park‘s piers, MVVA’s proposal is a flowing, uncomplicated, and flexible open space. Don’t be fooled by the design’s apparent simplicity however – it certainly has its own poetic sensibility. As Matthew Urbanski, principal of MVVA, told The Architect’s Newspaper: “It flows south to the cultural center, then there’s a movement west towards the [Hudson] river”– the project certainly strives to become a place that links to the city’s amenities while offering a sensible and inviting environment for people to gather.
Despite the fact that details of the Hudson Yards development are still left undecided, coupled with the economy’s downturn, the first phase of the Hudson Park and Boulevard is planned to be completed by 2013.
The other finalists for the competition included: Work AC with Balmori Associates, West 8 with Mathews Nielson, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol with Allied Works Architecture, and Hargreaves Associates with Ten Arquitectos.
+ Hudson Yards Development Corporation
+ Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
+ Toshiko Mori Architect
Via The Architect’s Newspaper
There were more interesting options for this. This was the most predictable choice. Too bad, it would have been a great chance to promote an excellent design with some of the other teams.
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