Architectural Record – August 2019

(^36) ARCHITECTURAL RECORD AUGUST 2019 FIRST LOOK
Screen Time
A reimagined pier brings a breath
of fresh air to a Manhattan
neighborhood.
BY KARA MAVROS
On Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a scenic park at Pier 35,
designed by SHoP Architects and Ken Smith Workshop, is
now open. As one of the final phases of the East River Espla­
nade, a two­mile waterfront­revitalization plan begun 14
years ago, this recent addition at a single pier may seem
relatively small. Nevertheless, the 28,000­square­foot plot
accommodates many activities. In the morning, locals
practice tai chi; in the afternoon, sunbathers assume their
positions on the lawn. By evening, families enjoy the last
glimpses of daylight from relaxing swings. Officers on
NYPD patrol boats even get their takeout meals delivered to
the pier. “The Chinatown and Lower East Side community
is underserved in terms of public space,” says Ken Smith,
firm principal. “Pier 35 isn’t for the tourist crowd that goes
to the High Line; this is full of New Yorkers.”
Reflecting an urban reality, the site abuts an unsightly
New York City Department of Sanitation garage on the
north. In order to camouflage its neighbor, ShoP designed a
barrier structure of steel mesh between the shed and the
park’s open space. This elongated volume, composed of a
series of folded triangular screens that create a canted wall,
juts out over the river. At its eastern end, the architects
tilted up the south corner to help capture views of the
Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn waterfront. Here visi­
tors can sit under the lifted canopy—a concept, says Cathy
Jones, project director at ShoP, inspired by “your grand­
mother’s front porch” (except this porch is sandwiched
between sanitation storage and million­dollar vistas). Four
swings suspended from the shelter’s roof are placed against
the backdrop of the structure’s rust­colored weathering­
steel wall, which SHoP added to further conceal the garage.
Deep wood steps, wrapping around the southeast corner,
provide additional seating. Eventually, the overall enclosure
of steel mesh will be dressed in a tangle of vines that Smith
PHOTOGRAPHY: © DAVID SUNDBERG/ESTO (TOP, AND OPPOSITE, 2); COURTESY KEN SMITH (BOTTOM)