Manhattan, although an island, is very disconnected from the water that it’s surrounded by. The design of the HUDSON RIVERKEEPER aims to mend, that once so strong, relationship between the community and the water. This initiative is one that contributes to The Department of City Planning's Vision 2020: New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan.

One way to fully participate within the Hudson River’s complex environment is to develop a spatial-temporal formation that negotiates the real-time response of the system that helps generate it. This specific design encourges a shift in thinking; from what architecture IS to what architecture DOES. Approaching the design process in this way allows spatial diagrams to guide the form, by challenging conventional norms of expression and prescribed interpretations of program.

Perpetual feedback between analysis, intervention, and exchange with the environment time and time again challenges the building’s flexibility, therefore, increasing its overall potential for year-round activities. This is achieved by constantly negotiating with three different scales of feedback:

1. Scale examining feedback between building and the Hudson River’s fluctuating tides.
For example; during certain times of the day boats can enter the building because the building invites water in.

2. Scale between events schedules and the qualities required for the events to take place.
For example; an intimate lecture/exhibit in an enclosed space vs. an exposed lecture/exhibit in a high traffic public space.

3. Scale studying shifting scenarios that emerge on a daily, weekly, and seasonal basis.
For example; farmers markets during the day in the same spot where concerts/festivals will take place at night.

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