Designs Unveiled for the Final Section of the High Line!

The moment we've all been waiting for has finally come. At a community meeting Monday night, <a href="http://thehighline.org/" target="_blank">Friends of the High Line</a> released the initial design plans for the third and final section of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/exclusive-photos-of-new-york-citys-high-line-park-section-2/" target="_blank">High Line</a> at the Hudson Rail Yards. The <a href="http://thehighline.org/blog/2012/03/13/first-designs-for-the-high-line-at-the-rail-yards" target="_blank">renderings</a> from architects <a href="http://www.fieldoperations.net/" target="_blank">James Corner Field Operations</a> and <a href="http://www.dsrny.com/" target="_blank">Diller Scofidio + Renfro</a> are available on the <a href="http://thehighline.org/blog/2012/03/13/first-designs-for-the-high-line-at-the-rail-yards">High Line's website</a> (and our photo gallery!), and they show the final section of the elevated park incorporating familiar elements, as well as several brand new features. The design will be closely integrated to the massive <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/hudson-yards-to-get-a-massive-51-story-leed-gold-commercial-complex/" target="_blank">Hudson Yards development</a>, as the park will wrap around the new buildings, and construction is expected to be complete by the end of next year!

Other than the renderings, there isn't a lot of new information about the final section of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/exclusive-photos-of-new-york-citys-high-line-park-section-2/" target="_blank">High Line</a>. The Times reports that the third section's cost will be about $90 million (which comes from donors, not the city's pockets), and it will be open to the public by spring 2014. This rendering shows a design for the section at 10th Avenue and 30th Street.

This map shows the entire length of the High Line. The already constructed High Line is show in white, and the forthcoming rail yards section is highlighted in green.

Know as the 10th Avenue spur, the section juts out from the rest of the High Line rails and will be the widest part of the park. Several proposals have been put forth as to how it should be designed. This one shows an open meeting space surrounded by wildflower plantings.

The images show some familiar design aspects -- the wooden lounge chairs, peel-up benches, and <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/exclusive-photos-of-new-york-citys-high-line-park-section-2/high-line-section-2-22nd-street-bench-03/?extend=1" target="_blank">stadium-like seating</a>. This rendering looks west at 30th Street and features a section with Piet Oudolf’s naturalistic planting design.

There are some new features pictured as well, like this <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/section-3-of-the-high-line-park-could-become-a-kid-friendly-playground/" target="_blank">children's play area</a> created from the original beams which have been covered with protective rubber.

Here, the High Line passes over 11th Avenue alongside the future Hudson Yards. A new staircase will allow access to the elevated park, where visitors will enjoy views of the Hudson River.

One of the most interesting aspects of the High Line's final section is that an interim walkway will be built over the rails to allow visitors to experience it while it is being constructed.

The interim walkway on the High Line will allow visitors to experience the original rails in their raw, natural state.

The walkway will let visitors to experience the natural vegetation and wildflowers in a whole new way that the High Line's first two sections did not allow.

This rendering shows the peel-up typology used to create picnic tables, planters, water features, and a see-saw. The peel-up benches are an integral part of the High Line's design.

The High Line's third section is closely integrated with the Hudson Yards development, which the park wraps around.