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A multidisciplinary New York City-based firm has conjured up conceptual plans for Manhattan's crumbling Pier 40 that sees 19 residential towers and a diverse offering of mixed-use space on the manmade peninsula. The largest pier structure on the Hudson River sprawls across 15 acres and currently holds a parking garage, offices and an athletic complex. DFA's site-specific solution envisions a range of housing, recreational, and commercial opportunities on a property designed with anticipated sea level rise in mind.
"We see so many projects going up in New York that are quick, chart-driven responses to serious problems. These short-term resolutions will not safeguard the city from rapid changes in the environment or protect future generations of people," said Laith Sayigh, Founding Principal of DFA. "We selected Pier 40 as a site because of its unique conditions, commercial viability and proximity to Lower Manhattan. DFA has designed a viable, future-oriented solution for the challenges of the site."
After an analysis of the site's zoning and the state of the existing piles, DFA devised four viable tower typologies to spread housing density across the property. With New York City's sea level forecasted to rise 11 to 30 inches by 2050 and up to 75 inches by 2100, DFA imagines a landscape deck around the towers that would be transformed into a floating island as the site is gradually submerged.
The landscape deck would house retail, a sports complex and a theatre — all remaining active until 2050. Surrounding the pier would be several floating landscape pods designed to absorb wave energy during major storm surges.
The base of the towers are tapered so that no units lie below the projected 2100 waterline. Ranging in height from 29 to 139 metres, the 19 towers will hold 450 luxury, affordable and market-rate residences between them. A 360-degree observation deck situated above the lobby becomes the building's entry point after 2050, accessible via new pathways. Each tower would also be topped by accessible green roofs.
Though purely conceptual in nature, the proposal touches on pressing local concerns related to housing affordability and climate change. The Hudson River Park Trust, the organization that manages Pier 40, sold the air rights to a consortium of developers in late 2016, who plan to erect housing on the site.
