Hudson Park Boulevard Subway Canopy
New York, NY, USA
2015

The Hudson Park and Boulevard project includes the design for a new four acre urban park as part of the revitalization efforts of the far west side of Midtown Manhattan. Providing much needed green space in the new mixed use neighborhood, the Hudson Park and Boulevard is an integral component to the new development that works to create a harmonic relationship between urban infrastructure and natural landscape. Two entry canopies for the 7line subway extension, a café pavilion, a playground, and a cluster of fountains are seamlessly integrated with the landscape and streetscape to create public spaces with instances of repose from the hectic pace of New York City.

The subway canopies present a unique challenge to transform a utilitarian cover into a structure in and of the landscape. Each canopy employs a lightweight grid shell spanning across the full subway entrance. It is a highly calibrated engineering piece where its geometry and shape become the structural support system. Through efficient use of material, the shell creates a light weight transparent canopy, permitting uninterrupted visual connections across the park.

Credits:

Design Team: Toshiko Mori, Joshua Uhl, Rick Lam, David Jaubert, Justin Brown
Contractor: John Picone
Structural, steel: Schlaich Bergermann and Partners
Structural, concrete: Leslie E. Robertson Associates
MEP: Dagher Engineering
Landscape / Master Plan: Michael van Valkenburgh Associates
Lighting: Domingo Gonzalez Associates

Photographs © Hiroshi Abe