• Renderings Courtesy WIP Collaborative

    Renderings Courtesy WIP Collaborative

  • Renderings Courtesy WIP Collaborative

    Renderings Courtesy WIP Collaborative

  • Renderings Courtesy WIP Collaborative

    Renderings Courtesy WIP Collaborative

  • Renderings Courtesy WIP Collaborative

    Renderings Courtesy WIP Collaborative

of

Public Realm

WIP Collaborative’s Restorative Ground proposal wins competition

WIP Collaborative’s design has won the Care for Hudson Square competition, a recovery initiative in partnership with Hudson Square Properties and Hudson Square Business Improvement District to reactivate the public realm with a placemaking installation

by Georgina Johnston 23 February 2021

Urban Design Forum invited proposals to strategise using the streetscape as a site for cultural reawakening after months of social isolation on three possible sites in Hudson Square.

The WIP Collaborative team is composed of seven independent designers and their respective practices including Abby Coover (Overlay Office), Bryony Roberts (Bryony Roberts Studio), Elsa Ponce, Lindsay Harkema (WIP Studio), Ryan Brooke Thomas (Kalos Eidos), Sera Ghadaki, and Sonya Gimon.

Restorative Ground by WIP Collaborative proposes an installation that will act as a new destination in Hudson Square, a place for a range of experiences, activities and interactions to occur between residents, community members, and the broader public. As a dynamic platform for public life to re-emerge, the installation will create a place for individual and collective engagement, recreation, and healing. 

Located on King St, between Hudson and Greenwich Streets, Restorative Ground will serve as a node of activation within the network of outdoor public spaces and existing creative agencies in the neighborhood.

The form and materials of Restorative Ground enable a balance between a single, bold gesture and a series of differentiated environments. The overall massing of the project is a wedge, connecting between barrier height on the street side and curb height on the sidewalk side. The wedge is organised with an eight feet by eight feet grid to rationalise geometry and construction, but diagonals and arcs dance within this grid, carving and extruding dynamic shapes for seating, tables, and ramps.

Designed to respond to existing conditions and DOT regulations, the large gesture of the wedge creates a sectional connection between the Street Seats recommended barrier height of 36 inches and the sidewalk level. Geometric shapes cut into the large wedge, creating spaces for specific programs, and introducing multiple sectional options for seating and accessibility. The form is intended to be flexible to accommodate regulations and client preferences.

Lighting solutions have been carefully selected to transform the space at night while staying respectful to the environment and urban contexts. Subtle glow from integrated solar powered handrail lighting will illuminate the path as well as creating an inviting and calming atmosphere.

The architectural material and forms will be enhanced by adding backlighting at perforated Volumes. The design proposal consists of 33 eight feet by eight feet tiles. Each tile has its own form creating a unique individual environment. The eight feet by eight feet system inspires the possibility for new configurations beyond King Street as seen at Little Sixth. Each tile is constructed with wood framing and substrate which create the base for the various materials of rubber, astroturf, wood, and metal. 


Want to submit your project to World Architecture News?

Contact The Team