It may be Chinatown, but the New York City Department of Transportation, the Chinatown Partnership, and Van Alen Institute aren’t about to forget it. A new collaboration between the three entities looks to find a new contemporary neighborhood marker at the Canal Street Triangle, a triangular traffic island flanked by Canal Street, Baxter Street, and Walker Street.
The project is seeking proposals that will create a new landmark for Chinatown and the surrounding neighborhoods that will “engender pride of place, embody cultural and social identities, and stimulate economic development.”
The design teams will need to take on the challenge of activating the relatively small space by honoring the neighborhoods past and present and packing it with interactive technologies and green space.
The winning proposal will replace a kiosk that sits on the site currently and connect two of Manhattan’s most iconic neighborhoods – Chinatown and Little Italy.
The organizers want the prospective teams to consider the following questions:
- How can the site serve as a “gateway” responding to tradition as well as adapting to ever-changing cultural and generational demographics and technology?
- How can the gateway connect and bring together existing communities and create new opportunities for both locals and visitors to experience the area in fresh ways?
- How can the gateway site link to other gateways within Chinatown, across the city and around the world?
Teams have until June 19, 2017 to submit their proposals. The winning team will be selected in fall 2017 and design and implementation will begin in 2018. For more information, click here.
Related Stories
Architects | Aug 17, 2015
Historic power plant converted to modern offices in Minnesota
A landmark power plant in Owatonna, Minn., damaged in a 2010 flood has new life as the headquarters of Owatonna Public Utilities following a renovation by architects Leo A. Daly.
High-rise Construction | Aug 11, 2015
Calatrava's Turning Torso wins CTBUH's 10 Year Award
The 623-foot, 57-story tower was the world's first twisting skyscraper. Completed in 2005, the building, designed by Santiago Calatrava, rotates 90 degrees along its height.
Architects | Aug 11, 2015
Architecture firm compensation trending upwards
Latest AIA compensation survey finds average compensation for staff positions up 3.5 percent from early 2013
Architects | Aug 11, 2015
12 architecture schools join NCARB's 'speedy path to licensure' program
For architecture students, a license to practice may soon be available as early as graduation day
Architects | Aug 10, 2015
HDR expands its Canadian presence through merger with CEI Architecture
Public-private partnerships are expected to be one of the combined entity’s strengths.
Retail Centers | Aug 10, 2015
Walgreens’ flagship in Hawaii harkens back to the island’s fishing culture
A house where canoes were made served as the model for this drug superstore’s design.
Giants 400 | Aug 7, 2015
GOVERNMENT SECTOR GIANTS: Public sector spending even more cautiously on buildings
AEC firms that do government work say their public-sector clients have been going smaller to save money on construction projects, according to BD+C's 2015 Giants 300 report.
Giants 400 | Aug 7, 2015
K-12 SCHOOL SECTOR GIANTS: To succeed, school design must replicate real-world environments
Whether new or reconstructed, schools must meet new demands that emanate from the real world and rapidly adapt to different instructional and learning modes, according to BD+C's 2015 Giants 300 report.
Giants 400 | Aug 7, 2015
MULTIFAMILY AEC GIANTS: Slowdown prompts developers to ask: Will the luxury rentals boom hold?
For the last three years, rental apartments have occupied the hot corner in residential construction, as younger people gravitated toward renting to be closer to urban centers and jobs. But at around 360,000 annual starts, multifamily might be peaking, according to BD+C's 2015 Giants 300 report.
Giants 400 | Aug 7, 2015
UNIVERSITY SECTOR GIANTS: Collaboration, creativity, technology—hallmarks of today’s campus facilities
At a time when competition for the cream of the student/faculty crop is intensifying, colleges and universities must recognize that students and parents are coming to expect an education environment that foments collaboration, according to BD+C's 2015 Giants 300 report.