The New York office of Perkins Eastman has announced that the New York Wheel, located on the north shore of Staten Island’s St. George neighborhood, was approved by City Council on October 30 and construction is scheduled to begin in 2014. The approval process has been over a year in the making since the project was first announced by the office of Mayor Bloomberg last September. Perkins Eastman is serving as design architect for the on-site 100,000 square-foot Terminal building.
Perkins Eastman will work closely with Richard Marin, CEO of New York Wheel LLC, and landscape architecture firm M. Paul Friedberg and Partners. The development will comprise retail, entertainment, dining and open space amenities amidst a compelling, integrated waterfront site that will attract millions of tourists and residents year round. Scheduled to open to the public in 2016, this currently underused shore land adjacent to the ferry terminal will become a dynamic mixed-use district. In addition to the 630-foot observation wheel, engineered by the designers of the London Eye, key components to the site will include the Terminal building, a 950-car parking garage, a bus storage facility, and an extensive landscape and sustainability program designed to provide a variety of open spaces. The Perkins Eastman design team is led by Principals Stanton Eckstut FAIA, Navid Maqami AIA, LEED AP, and Associate Principal Jonathan Cohn AIA, LEED AP.
The Terminal and its landscaped roof deck will link the water’s edge with the existing fabric of the site, offering expanses of public space for recreation, picnicking, promenade walks, cultural activities and more. “The design is intended to blur distinctions between architecture and landscape,” says Maqami, who is serving as Design Principal on the project. “The Terminal and its surrounding area will frame the iconic structure of the Wheel while providing great places that connect Richmond Terrace to the waterfront.”
While situated above grade level, the building was inspired by and designed to be part of the landscape itself, while meeting the highest standards for sustainable design and resilient waterfront development. The building’s generous interior will offer visitors clear sight lines to the Wheel, New York Harbor and beyond. Program spaces include ticketing, exhibition space, food and beverage areas, and retail opportunities. Given its proximity to the shoreline and the sustainable energy the site will draw from wind, water and sun, the Terminal building will continually devote space to educational exhibitions on alternative energy, green and resilient design, and the history of New York City, among other topics.
About Perkins Eastman
Perkins Eastman is among the top design and architecture firms in the world. With 700 employees in 13 locations around the globe, Perkins Eastman practices at every scale of the built environment. From niche buildings to complex projects that enrich whole communities, the firm’s portfolio reflects a dedication to progressive and inventive design that enhances the quality of the human experience. The firm’s portfolio includes high-end residential, commercial, hotels, retail, office buildings, and corporate interiors, to schools, hospitals, museums, senior living, and public sector facilities. Perkins Eastman provides award-winning design through its offices in North America (New York, NY; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Pittsburgh, PA; San Francisco, CA; Stamford, CT; Toronto, Canada; and Washington, DC); South America (Guayaquil, Ecuador); North Africa and Middle East (Dubai, UAE); and Asia (Mumbai, India, and Shanghai, China).
About The New York Wheel LLC
The New York Wheel, located on the North Shore of Staten Island, will be the tallest observation wheel in the world and the only attraction of its kind in New York City. The 630-foot (roughly 60-story) Wheel will feature thirty-six capsules, each carrying up to 40 passengers, that will offer incomparable views of Lower and Midtown Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, and beyond both the Verrazano and the George Washington Bridges, for the duration of each 38-minute revolution. The attraction will accommodate as many as 1,440 people per trip, and will welcome as many as 30,000 visitors each day and an anticipated 4 million visitors per year.
The New York Wheel project was originally proposed in response to the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) released in 2011 for projects that would increase economic growth, boost tourism, and create jobs on Staten Island. Meir Laufer is the founder of New York Wheel. The New York Wheel has been designed by a team from Starneth B.V., Perkins Eastman Architects and M. Paul Friedberg & Partners. It is expected to begin construction in 2014 with a grand opening scheduled for 2016. For more information about the New York Wheel visitwww.newyorkwheel.com
About M. Paul Friedberg and Partners
MPFP, LLC / M. Paul Friedberg and Partners, established in 1958, is one of the most well known and highly regarded interdisciplinary landscape architecture, urban design and planning firms in the country. Lead by Rick Parisi, FASLA, the firm provides a full range of services including planning, programming, designing, engineering and construction supervision of mixed use, commercial-institutional facilities, and new residential communities, with an emphasis on the creation of parks, play environments, and plazas. MPFP provides the experience and the capability to direct complex projects from concept to implementation, with a sense of continuity and a detailed understanding of site and audience. The firm is also proficient in a variety of environmental analysis, product design and development, graphics, civic and promotional programming, research, and community participation activities. MPFP is highly successful in working with municipalities, arts groups, architects, and artists. From their office in New York, the firm has completed projects in numerous international locations including Israel, Brazil, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, India, Hong Kong and Japan. The quality of their work has been recognized with over 100 professional honors and awards from organizations such as the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Planning Association, the American Institute of Architects, the Building Stone Institute, and the Municipal Arts Society. For more information visit www.mpfp.com
Related Stories
Student Housing | Mar 13, 2023
University of Oklahoma, Missouri S&T add storm-safe spaces in student housing buildings for tornado protection
More universities are incorporating reinforced rooms in student housing designs to provide an extra layer of protection for students. Storm shelters have been included in recent KWK Architects-designed university projects in the Great Plains where there is a high incidence of tornadoes. Projects include Headington and Dunham Residential Colleges at the University of Oklahoma and the University Commons residential complex at Missouri S&T.
Mixed-Use | Mar 11, 2023
Austin mixed-use development will provide two million sf of office, retail, and residential space
In Austin, Texas, the seven-building East Riverside Gateway complex will provide a mixed-use community next to the city’s planned Blue Line light rail, which will connect the Austin Bergstrom International Airport with downtown Austin. Planned and designed by Steinberg Hart, the development will include over 2 million sf of office, retail, and residential space, as well as amenities, such as a large park, that are intended to draw tech workers and young families.
Performing Arts Centers | Mar 9, 2023
Two performing arts centers expand New York’s cultural cachet
A performing arts center under construction and the adaptive reuse for another center emphasize flexibility.
Building Team | Mar 8, 2023
Call for Speakers: BD+C’s 2023 Women in Residential + Commercial Construction Conference
The 2023 Women in Residential + Commercial Construction conference event will take place October 25-27 in Nashville, Tenn., and will bring together more than 300 women leaders from all facets of the $1.4 trillion U.S. residential and commercial constructing sector.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 7, 2023
Multifamily housing development in Chicago takes design inspiration from patchwork and quilting
HUB 32, a 65-unit multifamily housing development, will provide affordable housing and community amenities in Chicago’s Garfield Park neighborhood. Brooks + Scarpa’s recently unveiled design takes inspiration from the American tradition of patchwork and quilting.
Industrial Facilities | Mar 6, 2023
The largest planned logistics and business park in North America gets under way in Southern California
The $25 billion World Logistics Center will boost the supply chain capabilities of Southern California and will serve as a distribution center for destinations across the continent.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 6, 2023
NBBJ kicks off new design podcast with discussion on behavioral health facilities
During the second week of November, the architecture firm NBBJ launched a podcast series called Uplift, that focuses on the transformative power of design. Its first 30-minute episode homed in on designing for behavioral healthcare facilities, a hot topic given the increasing number of new construction and renovation projects in this subsector.
Adaptive Reuse | Mar 5, 2023
Pittsburgh offers funds for office-to-residential conversions
The City of Pittsburgh’s redevelopment agency is accepting applications for funding from developers on projects to convert office buildings into affordable housing. The city’s goals are to improve downtown vitality, make better use of underutilized and vacant commercial office space, and alleviate a housing shortage.
Student Housing | Mar 5, 2023
Calif. governor Gavin Newsom seeks to reform environmental law used to block student housing
California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to reform a landmark state environmental law that he says was weaponized by wealthy homeowners to block badly needed housing for students at the University of California, Berkeley.
Green Renovation | Mar 5, 2023
Dept. of Energy offers $22 million for energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades
The Buildings Upgrade Prize (Buildings UP) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy is offering more than $22 million in cash prizes and technical assistance to teams across America. Prize recipients will be selected based on their ideas to accelerate widespread, equitable energy efficiency and building electrification upgrades.
