The English starchitect Heatherwick designed a green island on the famous New York river. The park is connected to the quays by two bridges and appears to be floating between the famous jetties. A breath of oxygen, just a few steps from the High Line.

The brand new Hudson Yards, opened in the west of Manhattan just over a year ago and built as an extension of the famous High Line, continues to intrigue with its architectural choices. Among its new places to be, the Shed, a premium cultural centre, the Vessel, the architectural work of Thomas Heatherwick, and its contemporary artistic mall. To this non-exhaustive list will soon be added a small island off the Hudson River.

It is called Pier 55 and was designed by the British architect Thomas Heatherwick, one of the geniuses behind Hudson Yards. This island, raised by 300 mushroom-shaped concrete columns, will add a luxuriant and hilly landscape to this new district, formerly known for its abandoned warehouses and rails.

An amphitheatre with 800 seats

Operating as an open-air theatre, a marine sanctuary for the striped bass and a public park, the island will be connected to the banks of the Hudson River by two wooden walkways. A breath of fresh air in the middle of the city.

“At a time when you can get a PhD online and have all your groceries delivered, neighbourhood life and social connections no longer exist if you build something common,” Thomas Heatherwick told the Wall Street Journal. This project, funded by media mogul Barry Diller and his wife Diane von Furstenberg, is the last to test the strength of the high-end market in the neighbourhood, which has seen an influx of new residential and architecturally bold projects. Pier 55 is scheduled to open in the fall of 2020.

Tags: Hudson Yards, park, Pier 55, Thomas Heatherwicks, urban planning