Heatherwick Studio's recent project, Little Island (formerly known as 'Pier55') in collaboration with landscape architect Mathews Nielsen is slowly taking shape in New York. Scheduled for completion in 2021, the project received numerous obstructions since it was first unveiled in November 2014. However, new footage revealed the ongoing construction work at 55 Hudson Greenway on the Hudson River. SURFACES REPORTER (SR) brings all information about this project featuring 132 tulip-shaped protruding concrete columns above the Hudson River. Take a look:

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Changed Old Piers with New Concrete Piles

Recent captures show the hundreds of old wooden piles, which emerged from the Hudson River as an old pier's structural remains.

The British architectural studio plans to recreate the new pier making use of the old wooden piles.

The firm decided to use new concrete piles to form a raised platform. Cranes are used to lift the concrete plants  and sit atop the piles in the water, reaching skyward to the tulip-like formation or inverted mushroom-like sections with a green surrounding above. Protruding at different height levels- between 15 to 62 feet (4.5 to 18.9 metres) above the river, the piles join to form an undulating wave-like topography that will offer the city's fantastic views.

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Greenery: An Important Element

Around 280 piles form a planter at their top. The  team searched plants that are local to the city. The architects filled the space with over a 100 species of indigenous trees and plants, suited to the hot summers and freezing winters of New York. The architecture firm's other project called ‘1000 Trees' is also based on the similar form, and is currently underway in Shanghai.

The project is managed by the Hudson River Park Trust (HRPT) while Signe Nielsen of Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects was commissioned to design 2.4-acre- green surrounding to include lawns, paths and rolling hills.

After seeing renderings, it is clear that one can access the park from entrances on 13th and 14th Streets through elevated walkways.

Little Island will comprise areas to host community events, including performances, arts and educational programmes. It will contain an outdoor theatre that can accommodate more than 700 people, a main space for 3,500, a smaller performance area for 200, and many different pathways and viewing platforms.

The site is expected to open to the public in 2021.

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Project Details

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