Aquarium for New York City | Master project

+ Public Waterfront |  2016

New York City is a complex edifice constantly evolving and regenerating from its former conditions. Following the great recession of 2008, the city has seen rapid redevelopment and has capitalized on previously undesirable locations. Sitting at the top of these locations are the sites that have access to waterfront. Most of the ventures in these areas are private economical interests that only address public value when there is a direct return on profit. If not taken into consideration, many of these waterfronts will be absorbed by private developers and, with the constant return of people to the urban core, the need to create public and cultural infrastructure becomes more prevalent. 

With almost 2.5 million residents, Queens is the second largest borough of New York City. The population of Queens is greater than every city in the United States with the exception of Los Angeles, Chicago, and the overall population of New York City. Increasing populations have caused the downtown district in New York City to reach beyond its previous Manhattan border, thus bolstering the growth of other boroughs such as Queens. With the current urban revival trends, the population of Queens is growing at its fastest rate in the last 10 years. The redevelopment of the waterfront in Long Island City has grown from an initial spark of renewal to a continuing trend. New waterfront parks and residential towers rise from Hunters Point towards Queensboro Bridge. These new high-end apartments provide elite views of the Manhattan skyline for new residents. However, contemporary public institutions are not currently taking advantage of centralized waterfront in the triborough area. 

The selected site for this competition lies at the edge of Queens along the East River, almost directly across from the southern tip of Roosevelt Island. The southern portion of the site is bordered by an underutilized canal that stems from the East River. The East River is directly accessible from the western edge of the site. In recent years, most of the real estate surrounding the site has been built up or redeveloped. Waterfront real estate to the north and south of the site has been or will be redeveloped into commercial and residential buildings. The portion of Roosevelt Island south of the Queensboro Bridge is being redeveloped to become a tech campus for Cornell University. The site is easily accessible by metro with the Court Square station located within a 1 0-minute walk. Rail lines from all over New York come into the Hunterspoint Avenue and Long Island City train stations. Both are about a fifteen minute walk away from the site. A ferry line currently runs through the East River and connects Manhattan with Hunters Point just south of the proposed site, about a 15-minute walk away.

Since Hurricane Sandy, waterfront land surrounding NYC has come to the forefront of many discussions. Architects like BIG and OMA have proposed bold new ideas that explore new ways to create inclusive environments which serve as both water control and social spaces. The aquarium attempts to continue this discussion by implementing an element of usable space surrounding the building which serves both the public and environment. This public space can be intertwined and inseparable from the proposed program.