'governor's island' by diller scofidio + renfro

an aerial view of the island situated between mainland new york and ellis island

the 172-acre parcel that is ‘governor’s island’, has been on a part of new york city for much of its 400-year history, acting as a private outpost for government, military and coast guard installations. situated between the statue of liberty, ellis island, downtown manhattan and brooklyn, new york, plans for work on the island will include a mix of natural and man made landscapes.

the new ‘governor’s island’ is a collaboration between diller scofidio + renfro, west 8 landscape architects and rogers marvel architects. its design uses the manmade topography of lower manhattan as a starting point, and sees the island’s southern tip transformed into an artifical landscape, which includes habitable mountains constructed from reclaimed materials from existing governor’s island buildings.

'governor's island' by diller scofidio + renfro

the aquatic research center

the new topography approaches the western edge of the island, transforming into EPDM (a type of propylene rubber) covered greenhouse structures will serve as botanical and aquatic research centers. there will also be aquaria and restaurants which will examine the flora and fauna of the site, with particular focus on the fish of the hudson estuary.

the forms of the off-shore structures will emerge from the water like large, floating bubbles, and move with the tides and adjust to the water’s rising sea levels. there is the ‘oyster restaurant’ which is a large, inflated sphere, that will be located directly across the harbor from the statue of liberty, and anchored by a man made oyster reef. the restaurant will focus on the ecology of the area, and will serve food from the local hudson river and surrounding harbor.

a map of the various bubble-like structures

a technical diagram of the island’s topographical make-up

complementary wood bicycles are provided on the island, available along the paths between its hills, they provide a mode of transportation to the adjacent tidal basin, 10,000 seat amphitheater, and the perimeter promenade with its views of new york city and surrounding area. the project started this past spring, and its projected completion is 2012.

related designboom contemporary diller & scofidio: the blur building