Construction has resumed on the Thomas Heatherwick-designed Pier 55 on the Hudson River in New York. Almost eight months since the scheme was officially abandoned by primary backer Barry Diller due to soaring costs, work has resumed on the site following negotiations between New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Diller and the civic organization City Club in October 2017. The Architect’s Newspaper has reported that the scheme’s walkways are currently under construction, with concrete piles being laid into the river.
The $170 million Pier 55 was designed by Thomas Heatherwick’s studio to be a lush undulating landscape, raised atop 300 mushroom-shaped concrete columns placed 186 feet off of the Hudson River shoreline. Functioning as both an outdoor performance venue, a marine sanctuary for striped bass, and a guard for the city against storms, the scheme was to feature an 800-seat amphitheater access via two doc-like pathways connecting back to the New York City shoreline.
With preparatory work underway in March 2017, the scheme ran aground following a ruling by a United States District Court judge that the scheme would require an intense wildlife impact review. Primary backer Barry Diller, chairman of IAC/InterActive Corporation subsequently announced in September 2017 that the scheme was unviable due to a soaring $250 million price tags, and unforeseen environmental concerns.
However, as a result of mediations and a $50 million pledge by Gov. Cuomo, construction is now underway once again. The two walkways connecting the scheme to the New York waterfront have been laid, as evidenced in photographs taken by CityReality last week.
Pier 55 is scheduled to open in the fall of 2020.
News via: The Architect’s Newspaper
Construction Halted on Heatherwick's Pier 55 in New York
Construction on Heatherwick Studio's undulating Pier 55 in New York has come to a screeching halt, following a ruling by a United States District Court judge last week that will require the project to undergo an intense wildlife impact review. Last April, the U.S.
Heatherwick's Floating Pier 55 in New York Officially Abandonded
Six months after preparatory site work was halted by legal action, plans for the Heatherwick Studio-designed Pier 55 park along the Hudson River in New York City have been abandoned. Primary backer Barry Diller, chairman of IAC/InterActive Corporation, announced the decision yesterday, citing ballooning costs and gear-halting legal worries.
