Pier 6 Harbor Pair

A R C H I T E C T S

(Competition Entry with NV/design.architecture)

Architecture sited on the waterfront facing Manhattan at the south entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Pier Six HARBOR PAIR offers potential for a new model of urban living. Our design forms a coupled pair of buildings each manifesting the unique potential of its position on the harbor, in the park and alongside the adjacent neighborhoods to maximize the residents’ contact with the water, horizon and landscape. The buildings honor their public dimension with porous profiles on the skyline and a publicly accessible roof top space for all to enjoy the panoramic views from this special position within New York City.

Design Concept

Sited on the Waterfront facing Manhattan and New York Harbor at the south entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park The Pier Six pair of buildings offer potential for a new model of urban living. Our design forms a coupled pair of buildings each manifesting the unique potential of its position on the water, the park and within the adjacent neighborhoods to maximize the residents’ contact with the water horizon and landscape. The buildings honor their public dimension with porous profiles on the skyline and publicly-accessible roof-top space for all to enjoy the panoramic views from this special position within New York City.

Park Spiral Tower + Light-Sliced Housing

A ‘Park Spiral Tower’ continues the park’s landscape circling up the tower to a Green roof terrace with publicly accessible restaurant. The Garden terraces for the residences are cut around the tower’s volume giving the residents a unique link to nature in the air, and opening sky and views through the tower. The porous architecture of the tower lightens its presence on the skyline and gives each residence corner exposures opening to the panoramic views of Manhattan New York Harbor. The ‘Light-Sliced Housing” on Site B is sliced vertically for light, air and views, giving all the residences corner exposures, a first for an affordable housing development. The communal roof Terrace offers all the residents panoramic views and open-air space. From the fine-grain fabric of Brooklyn Heights the light slices separate the large footprint into three slender buildings in keeping with the neighborhood’s scale.

View from the park

The pair of buildings have distinct relationships to their immediate context. The Park Spiral Tower connects to the park through it’s spiraling open space to the roof that provides expansive views of the entire park to the Brooklyn Bridge. The Light-Slice Housing bridges the urban void between the terminus of Atlantic Avenue and the otherwise isolated building at 1 Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Site

A pedestrian bridge that connects the two Pier SIX buildings and Brooklyn Bridge Park to Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn Heights by spanning the BQE will allow park visitors and building residents that ability to avoid negotiating the perils of vehicular traffic at the busy intersection of Atlantic Avenue and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. Entry to the bridge will take place at the current southern entry to Adam Yauch Park.

Model Photo

A series of new plazas will stream line pedestrian movement and provide additional space within the park adjacent to the buildings for the public. When in proximity of relocated crosswalks, these plazas will provide additional safety for pedestrians entering and exiting the park as well as open up lines of site for vehicles.

Program Diagram

The Park Spiral Tower presents a porous housing type that allows light and air to filter through it and activate private outdoor spaces throughout the building. Each floor is informed by a single horizontal slice from one corner of the floor to the opposite side, creating an operable wall of glass that accesses a large terrace. The next floor above is rotated ninety degrees, providing privacy, a variety of views, and allowing sunlight and air through and around the building. A publicly accessible rooftop terrace and restaurant offers everyone panoramic views of Manhattan and the Harbor.

The Light Slice Housing presents a housing type based on a larger population of smaller units. The building is organized by a pair of east/west vertical slices that divide the bulk into three slender parts. These glazed slots provide a variety of light conditions as the day passes, beginning and ending each day with direct sunshine.

Structural Diagram

Spiraling concrete fins provide additional stiffness to a high-strength concrete core as the building ascends while simultaneously performing as outriggers that deliver gravity and lateral loads from each floor plate and exterior Vierendeel truss, respectively, back to the core. A preliminary structural analysis shows that vertical deflections are within acceptable code drift limitations and that the stresses developed can be adequately supported with by the concrete core.

View from Manhattan