New York City’s High Line has revolutionized urban planning since it opened in 2009, and its success has spawned similar projects as far afield as the UK and Singapore. Now, its original co-founder, James Corner Field Operations, has returned to the famous elevated walkway and, together with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, has expanded a striking new timber bridge that stands in stark contrast to the gleaming modern skyscrapers around it. Compared.
The High Line – Moynihan Link actually consists of two bridges that together form an L-shape over the city street. These additional segments mean that pedestrians will now have a continuous path between Manhattan’s West Moynihan Station and the existing High Line park segment.
The most famous of the two bridges is the wooden bridge, which consists of 163 Alaskan yellow cedar trees glue-laminated wood Liang is from British Columbia, Canada. Once on site, they were painstakingly fastened together at street level and hoisted into place. Now complete, the bridge is 260 feet long (nearly 80 m) and weighs 256,704 pounds (approximately 116,000 kilograms).
The woodland bridge it connects to is made of steel and has a span of 340 feet. It supports large soil-filled pots for trees and shrubs that, over time, will create a lush landscape for birds and native pollinators.
Andrew Frass
“Depending on the site and context, the two bridges have their own architectural and structural expression and experience, and they are aesthetically united by a warm material palette of weathered steel decks and bronze handrails,” explains SOM’s press release. “The intersection of the two bridges creates a special moment of pause, allowing the visitor’s orientation to change from east-west to north-south and simultaneously from an immersive woodland experience to an immersive timber experience.
“The vegetation on the Woodland Bridge changes from tall to low, creating different expressions as visitors move in all directions. The dynamic landscape allows passers-by to see the timber structure rise up a diagonal path, establishing a connection with the trees of Manhattan’s West Side. Visual connections. Public spaces have a distinct sense of place while guiding pedestrians to their destinations on either side.”
The $50 million project is being funded by the nonprofit Friends of the High Line, Empire State Development Corporation and Brookfield Properties. It officially opens to the public today, June 22.
source: as, James Corner Fieldwork, New York City Governor’s Office
