The Harlem Edge/Cultivating Connections Competition NYC 2012
In this competition, an abandoned waste transfer site in the Hudson River is reimagined as the host of a new community oriented complex, complete with gardens, restaurant, and performance spaces.
The Harlem Hanging Gardens float above the river, a shimmering complex clad in a screen of gold pyramids connecting the adjoining Riverbank Park and the shore, stitching together once isolated and disparate parts of a thriving community. At the center is a Market Hall showcasing the produce grown in the rows of community plots, and also providing a home to the other local businesses. A tri-level restaurant offers city and river views and produce grown on site on its menu. Clinging to Riverbank Park is a performance space for Harlem theater and dance companies.
This new epicenter is an enormous rigid box cantilevered from the former waste transfer block and connected to the side of the Riverbank Park and supported at the shoreline. Abundant space between the rows of planting beds allows the sun to reach the water, maintaining a fragile ecosystem. Its pyramidal skin has three sides reflecting the water and the city, the top is a phtotovoltaic panel.

Entrance at new Marketplace.

Garden view, looking toward Riverbank Park

Aerial view

Site Plan

Garden-level Plan

Section A

Section B

Facade detail





































































