What do you do with a sad, funky, abandoned trolley terminus? Well, if it's the former Williamsburg Bridge Trolley Terminal under Delancey Street in New York City, you make the world's first underground park by virtue of adding some mirrors, skylights, and vegetation. One acre in size, the freshly city-approved park (which took nearly a decade to go from its initial concept to getting the green light from the city) makes use of solar technology to pour sunlight into the former terminal, which has remained unused since 1948.
"Every designer dreams of doing civic work that contributes to society and to the profession," said James Ramsey, Lowline Co-Founder and Creator. "Over the last 8 years, we just stuck to what we thought was a great idea that could make our city and our community better. We're thrilled to move ahead on designing and building a space that people will enjoy for generations to come."
For more on innovative design news in NYC:
5 Comments
Kooky and odd, perfect for the weirdos. The squares and elites will hate it though
Nah. All the many elites here (who think themselves rebels) will love it.
I don't think there will be the required levels of lighting to sustain the house plants. How often will the greenery be refreshed, is this a cost factored into the spaces maintenance? the prototype with the Buckey Fuller Esqu ceiling I think is better than the renderings above.
The concept is interesting but I can see it getting very smelly and possibly dangerous if access and or security is not carefully considered.
Over and OUT
Peter N
Also regarding the headline of "approval...getting the green light"...
To be more precise;
"The city said it would grant the Lowline team the right to develop an abandoned acre of land below Delancey Street if it met a series of milestones over the coming year. Those include raising $10 million, hosting at least 10 to 15 community design meetings and developing a detailed design proposal...The announcement didn’t include a financial commitment from the city"
The most Terrible space that I'm excited to visit.
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