The Central Park Conservancy has recently released details about the renovation of the Lasker Rink and Pool, the capstone project of the Conservancy’s 40-year campaign to restore Central Park. The project will restore the area’s ecosystem while creating a new pool and rink facility at the Harlem Meer.
The new facility will be integrated into the landscape by being built into the eastern side of the site with a green roof overlooking the area. It will be more open and accessible to visitors and, for the first time, the facility will support programming, access to restrooms, and amenities year-round.
A new pool and outdoor splash pad will be built and a seasonal ice rink for skating and hockey will be installed. A boardwalk, accessed via an open-air pavilion on the shoreline, that travels through a series of small islands and a freshwater marsh will convert to a skating ribbon in winter.
The existing Lasker Rink and Pool has acted as a physical and visual barrier to the north end for more than 60 years as it severed the Ravine landscape and Lock watercourse from the Harlem Meer. The new design provides unhindered access across to the north end of the Park by reconnecting the watercourse that runs through the Ravine so it flows freely into the Harlem Meer and by re-establishing the pedestrian path that once ran alongside it.
See Also: KPF-designed CITIC tower is Beijing’s tallest
The project, slated to begin in spring of 2021, has a budget of $150 million, which includes a $40 million maintenance and capital repair fund. The City of New York has allocated $50 million to the project. The conservancy is committed to raising the remaining $100 million and overseeing the design and construction. The project is slated for completion in 2024.
Related Stories
Hotel Facilities | Feb 15, 2017
Morphosis redesigns Swiss hotel rooms as custom ‘aesthetic experiences’
The redesigned rooms focused on scale, color, tactility, unexpected form, and connections to the natural context.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Feb 2, 2017
$500 million investment will modernize Chicago’s Willis Tower *Updated*
The project will be the first major renovation in the building’s 43-year history.
Cultural Facilities | Jan 30, 2017
Former windmill factory proposed as new ‘vibrant culture house’
The transformed building would provide space for street sports, street culture, and street art.
Hotel Facilities | Jan 25, 2017
New Denver hotel will integrate historic 130-year-old fire station into its design
The 1883 Denver Hose Company No.1 building will be fully restored as part of the project.
Museums | Nov 18, 2016
Plans for the expansion and renovation of the Asian Art Museum in Seattle unveiled
LMN Architects is the architect and interior designer for the Bebb and Gould-designed museum.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 11, 2016
Adaptive reuse juices up an abandoned power plant
The power plant was on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark.
Reconstruction Awards | Nov 11, 2016
Exclusive Chicago club re-emerges as a boutique hotel
Built in 1893 for the World’s Columbian Exposition, the CAA was an exclusive social club founded by leading figures in American sports and commerce.
Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 28, 2016
Architecture conservation efforts begin at Salk Institute of Biological Studies
Getty-led research and funding leads to important site repairs and long-term conservation management planning.
Sponsored | Reconstruction & Renovation | Sep 13, 2016
Daytona International Speedway becomes racing’s first modern stadium
Daytona International Speedway has undergone a $400 million full-scale makeover to update the facilities first built in 1959.
Mixed-Use | Sep 8, 2016
Former sports stadium to become landscaped gardens, housing, and shops
According to the architects, Maison Edouard François, the project will act as a new green lung for the densely populated neighborhood.
