Typically, if you find yourself being submerged in New York’s East River, you probably aren’t having the best of days. But Italian architecture firm Lissoni Architettura, as part of a speculative design competition hosted by Arch Out Loud that sought innovative designs meant to transform New York City’s waterfronts, wanted to remove some of the stigma associated with the East River.
Lissoni Architettura’s concept, NYC Aquatrium, took first place in the Arch Out Loud competition and proposed the idea of building a partially submerged “island” or "shell" aquarium in Long Island City’s 11th street basin that would extend out into the East River, inhabitat.com reports.
The design calls for two islands, connected by a surrounding boardwalk, that would exist in an excavated site turned into a water basin. The island that reaches farther out into the river would be the partially submerged aquarium and would include eight above ground biome domes housing marine life from around the world. Four of the domes would house sea life from the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Southern Oceans, while the remaining four would house life from the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Tasman, and Red Seas. An iceberg at the center of the island would represent the North and South poles.
“The main idea is to generate an environment whereby visitors feel that they themselves are entering the water to discover the beauty of the marine life on display,” the firm wrote in its project proposal.
The second island would act as a green space during the day and retract to cover the partially submerged island at night, creating a shell not only to protect the arena and the biome domes within, but also to take on a “second life” as a planetarium.
The design is nothing more than a concept with no intention of actually being built, but if the idea of the Arch Out Loud contest was to spark the imagination of what could become of New York’s waterfronts in the future, this design certainly accomplished that goal.
Rendering Courtesy of Lissoni Architettura and Arch Out Loud
Rendering Courtesy of Lissoni Architettura and Arch Out Loud
Rendering Courtesy of Lissoni Architettura and Arch Out Loud
Related Stories
| Sep 9, 2014
Take a look at the hardhat of the future
A Los Angeles-based startup added augmented reality technology to a hardhat, creating a smart helmet.
| Sep 9, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright's Annie Pfeiffer Chapel brought back to life using 3D printing
Restoration of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed chapel was made possible (and affordable) thanks to 3D printing.
| Sep 8, 2014
First Look: Foster + Partners, Fernando Romero win competition for Mexico City's newest international airport
Designed to be the world’s most sustainable airport, the plan uses a single, compact terminal scheme in lieu of a cluster of buildings, offering shorter walking distances and fewer level changes, and eliminating the need for trains and tunnels.
| Sep 8, 2014
Trimble acquires Gehry Technologies, aims to create tools for linking office and job site
Trimble and Frank Gehry announced that they have entered into a strategic alliance to collaborate to transform the construction industry by further connecting the office to on-site construction technologies. As part of the alliance, Trimble has acquired Gehry Technologies.
| Sep 7, 2014
Ranked: Top state government sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
PCL Construction, Stantec, and AECOM head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest state government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 7, 2014
Hybrid healthcare: Revamping inefficient inpatient units to revenue-producing outpatient care
It's happening at community hospitals all over America: leadership teams are looking for ways to maintain margins by managing underutilized and non-revenue producing space. GS&P's David Magner explores nontraditional healthcare models.
| Sep 7, 2014
USGBC + American Chemistry Council: Unlikely partners in green building
In this new partnership, LEED will benefit from the materials expertise of ACC and its member companies. We believe this has the potential to be transformational, writes Skanska USA's President and CEO Michael McNally.
| Sep 7, 2014
Behind the scenes of integrated project delivery — successful tools and applications
The underlying variables and tools used to manage collaboration between teams is ultimately the driving for success with IPD, writes CBRE Healthcare's Megan Donham.
| Sep 7, 2014
Ranked: Top military sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Balfour Beatty, Fluor, and HDR top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest military sector design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Sep 5, 2014
First Look: Zaha Hadid's Grace on Coronation towers in Australia
Zaha Hadid's latest project in Australia is a complex of three, tapered residential high-rises that have expansive grounds to provide the surrounding community unobstructed views and access to the town's waterfront.