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The Friends of the High Line Design Competition is CLOSED. This is the original brief. You can view all the entrants and winning submissons at the Friends of the High Line Competition Web site.
CONTENTS
Overview
Welcome
"Thank you for your interest in "Designing the High Line," an open competition sponsored by Friends of the High Line (FHL). FHL is a New York City-based non-profit coalition of local residents, businesses, and civic groups dedicated to preserving the High Line, a 1.5-mile-long elevated rail line on Manhattan's Far West Side. This brief includes information on the purpose and procedures of the competition, as well as registration materials. The competition will culminate in a major exhibition at Grand Central Terminal, accompanied by a publication and website. As the Professional Advisor, I will serve the competition by providing guidance and advice. All questions and communication regarding participation in the competition should be directed to me via email at: [email protected]
or via postal mail at:
Reed Kroloff, Professional Advisor
Friends of the High Line
Hudson Guild, Room 225
441 West 26th Street
New York, NY 10001
I welcome you and wish you good luck."
Reed Kroloff
Introduction
Over the last two years, the movement to preserve and reuse the 22-block-long High Line elevated rail structure has received widespread coverage in the national press and has become a rallying point for New York's elected officials, community organizations, and civic groups. Now, for the first time, architects, landscape architects, designers, planners, artists, horticulturalists, and community members are invited to create visionary design proposals for the structure's reuse as an elevated, 1.5-mile-long public promenade. We encourage bold ideas that take advantage of the unprecedented opportunities presented by the High Line and that address important practical issues, such as access and safety, in creative ways.
The conversion of the High Line to public open space will be a reclamation of urban transportation infrastructure unparalleled in this country. Once the upper deck is opened to the public, residents and visitors will be able to walk 22 blocks through the city without ever encountering motorized traffic. Starting at the Hudson Rail Yards area, where neighborhood features include the Jacob Javits Convention Center, the Hudson River Park, and the new Penn Station site, and where a #7 subway extension and a multi-use sports and entertainment facility have been proposed, pedestrians can move south through the art galleries and warehouses of West Chelsea into the Gansevoort Meat Packing District. Old buildings and new will relate to an elevated public space that offers views of New York unavailable from any other vantage point. Inventively reconceived, the High Line will encourage design innovation and at the same time become a defining element of its rapidly changing neighborhoods.
The Challenge
We challenge competitors to create compelling visions for a new urban public space on 1.5 miles of existing New York City infrastructure.
The initiative to reclaim the High Line faces complex political, legal, and financial hurdles. Competitors can play a vital role in overcoming these hurdles by proposing captivating designs that will advance the process and raise public awareness of the unique potential of the High Line. Innovative visions will demonstrate how the line can be transformed in bold, optimistic ways to benefit New York City for generations.
Objectives
This open, one-stage competition seeks to identify proposals for reuse of the High Line that:
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Define a comprehensive vision for the reuse of the High Line as an original 1.5-mile-long public open space |
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Identify design solutions to the challenge of providing plentiful access to the High Line's elevated platform, including: 1. universal, or A.D.A.-compliant, access facilities; 2. access systems integrated into existing and/or future construction surrounding the High Line |
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Conceive an innovative plan for the environment to be experienced by a visitor to the High Line's elevated platform-an environment that might include (but is not limited to) landscaping/plantings, art-related uses, and recreational amenities |
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Define compelling treatmentsfor the spaces beneath the High Line, including street and sidewalk crossings (which are publicly controlled), and underlying private lots and buildings (controlled by individual property owners) |
Acknowledgements
"Designing the High Line" gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Council, and the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development.
The Site
Site Description
The competition site is the High Line, an elevated rail structure running from 34th Street to Gansevoort Street along the Far West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The rail structure is approximately 1.45 miles long and generally runs 29 feet above the street (except at its northern terminus, where the track descends to ground level adjacent to 34th Street). The High Line travels through 2 buildings and above 13 more. It crosses streets 25 times along 22 city blocks. The line is constructed of steel and topped with a reinforced concrete deck, gravel ballast, and metal tracks and handrails. The total surface area is 296,000 square feet (or approximately 6.7 acres), ranging in width from 30 feet to 88 feet. It is not currently in use, and it is closed to traffic and public access. (See "Available Research," below, for maps and CAD drawings.)
The High Line runs through three neighborhoods that formerly were centers for transportation and industrial uses: The Hudson Rail Yards area, Far West Chelsea, and the Gansevoort Meat Packing District. The context reflects this heritage, with a building inventory that includes many garages, factories, and warehouses. The area is now under significant redevelopment pressure and has begun to change in character. Over the past 15 years, Far West Chelsea has become an international art-world hub, with many of the galleries that once clustered in SoHo moving into warehouses and loft buildings between 20th and 29th Street, west of 10th Avenue. At the southern end of the Line, many meat processing factories in the Gansevoort Meat Packing District have been replaced by designer boutiques and destination restaurants. At the northern end of the Line, the City has begun a coordinated redevelopment initiative that may include a substantial new business and residential district, as well as a multi-use sports and entertainment facility (click here to go to the NYC Department of City Planning's Hudson Yards website). Running roughly parallel to the High Line-directly adjacent in the area between 34th and 30th Streets, and one to two blocks away from the Line south of 30th Street-is the Hudson River Park, currently under construction in stages.
The High Line was built to support two fully loaded freight cars, and studies indicate it remains structurally sound, though FHL expects to initiate a program of improvements which include replacing portions of the concrete rail bed and painting the steel support structure, prior to the development of the public open space.
There has recently been an increase in illegal trespassing on the High Line. Numerous individuals have been issued tickets, summons-and we have even heard reports of arrests. FHL urges its supporters in the strongest terms not to trespass. FHL does not control access to the Line, which is private property, owned and managed by CSX Corporation. Accessing the Line without CSX permission is illegal. Unfortunately FHL cannot offer tours to individuals, student groups, or those entering the design competition. Trespassing on the Line threatens FHL's working relationship with CSX, which in turn may threaten our long-term ability to open the Line to full and complete public access. Help us save the High Line and open it to the public: Don't trespass.
History
Built between 1930 and 1934 to deliver freight to factories and warehouses along New York City's bustling industrial West Side, the High Line was once part of an infrastructure improvement project that ultimately eliminated 105 dangerous street-level rail crossings in Manhattan. The structure originally ran from the Hudson Rail Yards down to Spring Street. It remained in service until 1980, though its southernmost blocks were demolished in the early 1960s. Since then, it has faced an uncertain fate. No longer necessary for its original purpose, yet valuable as an unobstructed right-of-way through Manhattan, the High Line sits dormant, with grasses, trees, and wildflowers overgrowing its tracks. It is owned by New York Central Lines, a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), and it is managed by CSX Corporation. CSX is the Conrail shareholder which acquired asset management of the Line in 1999.
Also in 1999, a not-for-profit group of neighborhood residents, businesses, design professionals, and civic organizations joined forces to form Friends of the High Line, hoping to reuse the remaining 1.5 miles of track as an elevated rail-trail. Nearly 12,000 miles of rail-trails have already been opened nationwide, and an additional 16,500 are in development.
In late December, 2002, the City of New York filed papers with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) requesting that negotiations begin to transform the High Line into an elevated public walkway. Specifically, the City requested a Certificate of Interim Trail Use, or CITU, for the High Line. The granting of a CITU would start a process called "rail-banking," which allows out-of-use rail corridors to be reused as recreational trails (See "Rail-Banking Strategy," below).
The City of New York's request for a CITU is just the first step in a long, complex set of procedures required to transform the High Line into an elevated public open space. Numerous political, legal, and financial challenges must be met, involving negotiations between CSX, the City of New York, the State of New York, underlying property owners, and community groups, before a final design can be developed.
Special Conditions
Ownership Issues
The High Line comprises the rail platform, the 475 columns that support it, and a "box" easement that extends 20 feet above the rail platform. The easement does not include any property below the tracks, except for the landing sites for the supporting columns. The High Line's structure and easement are owned by New York Central Lines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), and it is managed by CSX Corporation. CSX is the Conrail shareholder which acquired asset management of the Line in 1999. The property beneath the structure and its easement and the air rights above the structure and its easement are owned by:
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The State of New York (which controls the Hudson Rail Yards) |
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The City of New York (which owns all the street crossings and the Gansevoort Meat Market Center) |
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Private property owners |
Any proposals that extend beyond the structure and the envelope of its easement must recognize the ownership of the underlying property and the air space above and to either side of the easement.
Rail-Banking Strategy
The mechanism that Friends of the High Line has identified to convert the High Line to a public open space is called rail-banking. As part of the 1983 National Trail Systems Act, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that allowed out-of-use rail corridors to be utilized as trails while being "banked" for future transportation needs. Rail-banking a rail corridor depends on the ability to maintain that corridor's potential future connection to the national rail system. Tracks are not required to physically connect to the national rail system, but an easement must be preserved allowing a connection in the future. Design proposals should respect this requirement. Currently the High Line's easement permits a future connection roughly at 34th Street and 11th Avenue, where it meets Amtrak's Empire Line, which runs up the West Side in an underground cut. If desired, the High Line's structure and easement could be shortened from the southern end of the Line, so long as the continuity of the remaining, northern portion is not broken. It would also be possible to eliminate a section of the Line between 30th and 34th Streets so long as an easement was preserved allowing potential future connection to the national rail system via tracks within the Hudson Rail Yards.
Community Objectives
The High Line runs through communities that are keenly aware of existing development pressures. Community groups and representatives in this area have historically taken an active role in creating community-based planning documents, some of which have affected New York City policy. An overview of current community objectives in the area would include:
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Preservation of historic/neighborhood character |
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Controls for height and bulk in new construction |
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Controlled introduction of residential uses |
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Provisions to maintain current arts and manufacturing uses |
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Open-space creation |
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Traffic congestion mitigation |
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Creation of affordable housing |
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Controls on adult/nightclub uses |
Proposals are not required to address these issues, but competition participants should be aware of them and may choose to investigate community planning issues in proposals. In particular, proposals which investigate potential development adjacent to the High Line may wish to consider these issues.
Available Research
Reclaiming the High Line Study
Reclaiming the High Line, a reuse study, was published by the Design Trust for Public Space and Friends of the High Line in March 2002. You may view the study in PDF format or purchase a bound copy for $15.00 from Friends of the High Line. Alternatively, you may also send $15 to Friends of the High Line, Hudson Guild, Room 225, 441 West 26th Street, New York, NY 10001.
CAD Drawings
As a foundation for Reclaiming the High Line, Casey Jones, fellow of the Design Trust for Public Space, created CAD drawings of the High Line structure. You may download these CAD DWG files from the following links (right click and select 'Save Target As'):
Hudson Yards Information
The New York City Department of City Planning's website offers information about ongoing planning efforts in the Hudson Yards area of Far West Midtown. Included are the December 2001 "Far West Midtown - A Framework for Development" and the November 2002 "Hudson Yards: Master Plan."
High Line Flora
To view a document detailing the types of plant species found growing on the High Line, click here (Word doc).
Photography
To view and download photos of the High Line, click on one of the thumbnails below.
The photos shown below may be used in competition entries. Additional High Line photographs can be seen in the "Gallery" section of FHL's Web site.
Additional Online Resources
Manhattan Community Board No. 4
http://www.manhattancb4.org
New York Magazine, 2001 Chelsea real estate
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/realestate/features/4885/
New York Magazine, Gansevoort Meat Market Area
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/food/
reviews/restaurant/4145/index.html
New York Magazine, Neighborhood profile: Chelsea
http://www.newyorkmetro.com/realestate/articles/
neighborhoods/chelsea.htm
All of the articles below are from the New York Times and require purchase:
City of New York's Hudson Yards Redevelopment Plans
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?
res=F10612F935540C738FDDAA0894DB404482
Gansevoort Market Area
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?
res=F40617F9395F0C7B8CDDAB0994DA404482
Cheslea Gallery Real Estate
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?
res=F40716F83E550C748CDDAE0894DA404482
Gansevoort Market District Preservation
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?
res=F50711FA3E5B0C778CDDAF0894D9404482
Competition Program
Objectives
This open, one-stage competition seeks to identify proposals for reuse of the High Line that:
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Define a comprehensive vision for the reuse of the High Line as an original 1.5-mile-long public open space |
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Identify design solutions to the challenge of providing plentiful access to the High Line's elevated platform, including: 1. universal, or A.D.A.-compliant, access facilities; 2. access systems integrated into existing and/or future construction surrounding the High Line |
|
Conceive an innovative plan for the environment to be experienced by a visitor to the High Line's elevated platform-an environment that might include (but is not limited to) landscaping/plantings, art-related uses, and recreational amenities |
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Define compelling treatmentsfor the spaces beneath the High Line, including street and sidewalk crossings (which are publicly controlled), and underlying private lots and buildings (controlled by individual property owners) |
Competition Structure
This is a one-stage, open competition intended to solicit ideas for the reuse of the High Line.
Pedestrian Use
Competitors are invited to submit proposals for reusing the High Line as a linear, elevated, public open space built for pedestrian use. A rationale for focusing on pedestrian use is summarized in Reclaiming the High Line, p. 76.
Access
Converting the High Line to a public open space will create specific demands for access and safety. The Line runs nearly 30 feet in the air, at times adjacent to-and even through-privately owned property. Currently there is no public access to the Line, a situation competitors must remedy. Access solutions may involve public and/or private property. Potential public sites for access to the line are identified in Reclaiming the High Line, p.42. Access to the line must be free and universal. Further, competitors must demonstrate attention to, and care for, public safety on, above, and below the Line.
Public Use
Proposals must reserve the Line for public use, though private development and ownership may (and already does) occur immediately adjacent to, above, and below the Line.
Private Property
Much of the property below and adjacent to the High Line is privately owned. Many of the private property owners also own air rights above the Line, as do the City and State of New York. All design proposals must respect those ownership rights. The sponsors hope that the designs created in this competition will illustrate to owners of underlying property that redevelopment of the High Line will bring them valuable opportunities that they may not yet imagine.
Hudson Rail Yards
The area between 30th and 34th Streets, known as Hudson Rail Yards, is the railroad marshalling yard for the Metropolitan Transit Authority/Long Island Rail Road. This area has recently been proposed as the location for a multi-use sports and entertainment facility. To construct such a facility, a platform would have to be constructed above the existing railyards. Related improvements would include an extention of #7 subway line to service the Hudson Rail Yards area. Competitors may address these proposals but should be aware that the redevelopment of the Hudson Rail Yards site is not the principal subject or objective of the competition.
Schedule
| Competition Announcement |
February 5, 2003 |
| Questions Deadline |
April 4, 2003 |
| Answers Posted |
April 21, 2003 |
| Registration Deadline |
April 25, 2003 |
| Late Registration Deadline |
May 16, 2003 |
| Submission Deadline |
May 23, 2003 |
| Jury |
May 30, 2003 |
| Grand Central Terminal Exhibition |
July 9-26, 2003 |
To Enter
Who Can Enter
All interested parties, including multi-disciplinary teams, are invited to enter. For exclusions, see "Rules: Eligibility" below.
Registration Process
Entrants are required to register for the competition prior to submitting their entry. For registration deadlines, see "Schedule," above.
There are two ways to register for "Designing the High Line."
1. Online Registration. Entrants can register online, paying by credit card via the secure PayPal system. Upon completion of online registration, entrants will immediately receive their registration confirmation and registration number. This document and number must be printed out and included with final submission of contest entry (see "Submission Requirements," below). Registration must be completed by April 25, 2003 for standard-fee registration; by May 16, 2003, for late-fee registration. To register online, go to "Online Registration," below.
2. Offline Registration. Entrants can register offline, via postal mail or fax. Payment options include personal check, money order, cashier's check, or credit card. To register offline, print out registration form, fill it out, and mail with payment or fax with credit card payment to Friends of the High Line as indicated on form. FHL will send in reply, via postal mail, a registration confirmation and registration number. This document and number must be included with final submission of contest entry (see "Submission Requirements," below). Registration forms must be received in FHL's offices by April 25, 2003 for standard-fee registrations; by May 16, 2003, for late-fee registrations. To print out offline registration form, go to "Offline Registration," below.
Fees
Individual & Team Entries
$50: Registrations received by April 25, 2003
$100: Registrations between April 26 and May 16, 2003
Studio Entries
(Schools may pay a per-studio fee and enter as many as 15 students)
$300: Studio registrations received by April 25, 2003
$450: Studio registrations between April 26 and May 16, 2003
Entries which arrive without registration or entry fee may be discarded. All checks and credit card payments will be verified using standard verification procedures.
All payments are final. The Competition will not be able to offer refund for registrants who do not submit an entry.
Submission Requirements
Entrants should submit two 30" x 40" ( 0.762 x 1.016 meters) presentation boards, with the 40" sides oriented vertically, and organized side-by-side. The boards should have a maximum thickness of 0.5" (12.7 mm) and weigh no more than 5 pounds (6.8 kilograms) each. The boards must lie flat against an easel or wall, and may not include anything that projects more than 0.25" (6.35mm) from the surface.
Presentation drawings are at the discretion of the entrant, but must reflect the competition's objectives (see "Objectives," above).
The presentation board should document clearly and concisely the entrant's approach to the project. Ideas about the form, organization, materials, site planning, and design direction of the High Line should be included. Any verbal description must be included on the presentation side of the board and incorporated into the graphic layout of the concept.
Presentations should be easily understood by a lay audience. Several members of the competition jury will not be familiar with architectural drawings and symbols. Further, the sponsors intend to display the competition entries in a high-traffic public setting and utilize them in education programs about the High Line.
No models will be accepted. However, photographs or computer renderings of models may be incorporated into the presentation.
All entries must be submitted without any marks, logos, insignia, or writing that identify their authorship (see "Anonymity," below). Competitors must affix an opaque envelope to the rear of each competition board. Both the envelope and the board must be labeled only with the competitor's identification number (which will be assigned upon registration). Sealed inside this envelope should be a copy of the registration confirmation.
Competitors may submit as many entries as they desire. However, each entry must have a separate registration confirmation and entry form.
Deadline
All submissions must be received by the Professional Advisor in New York City by no later than 5:00 p.m. (EST) on May 23, 2003, the stated deadline in "Schedule" section, above. This is not a postmark deadline. The actual boards must be received by the given day and time.
Mail or deliver entries to:
Designing the High Line Competition
The Metropolitan Pavillion
c/o Joshua Young
124 W. 19th Street
New York, NY 10011
USA
Download mailing label (pdf)
NOTE: Hand-deliveries can only be made from Monday, May 19, 2003, to Friday May, 23, 2003, between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Competitors are solely responsible for ensuring their entry arrives on time. The sponsors recommend competitors contract with a shipping or delivery service that guarantees delivery and provides a tracking number. The competition's management is not responsible for any materials which do not arrive on time, or arrive in a condition that renders them unsuitable for display.
Questions and Answers
Below are answers to frequently asked questions about making competition entries for Designing the High Line. In addition, interviews with competition jurors have been posted on ArchNewsNow.
CURRENT ACCESS
Q: Can competition entrants go up on the High Line?
A. The High Line is private property, owned and managed by CSX Corporation. Unfortunately Friends of the High Line (FHL) cannot offer tours to individuals, student groups, or those entering the design competition.
WARNING ABOUT TRESPASSING: In recent weeks, there has been an increase in illegal trespassing on the Line. Accessing the Line without CSX permission is illegal. We've heard reports of numerous ticketings and arrests. FHL urges its supporters and competition entrants in the strongest terms not to trespass in this manner. Trespassing on the Line threatens FHL's working relationship with CSX, the railroad that owns and controls the Line. This could in turn threaten our long-term ability to open the Line to full and complete public access. Help us save the High Line and open it to the public: Don't trespass.
SUBMISSIONS
Q: Must contestants adhere strictly to the submission format outlined in the competition guidelines under "Submission Requirements?"
A: Yes. The submission requires two 30" x 40" ( 0.762 x 1.016 meters) presentation boards, with the 40" sides oriented vertically, organized side-by-side. The boards should have a maximum thickness of 0.5" (12.7 mm) and weigh no more than 5 pounds (6.8 kilograms) each. The boards must lie flat against an easel or wall and may not include anything that projects more than 0.25" (6.35mm) from the surface. Unfortunately we cannot accept submissions in any other format.
Q: Can contestants submit supplementary materials along with their presentation boards, such as videos, booklets, or models?
A: No.
Q: Can my competition entry address just a portion of the High Line, rather than the entire length?
A: No and yes. One of the four principal competition objectives is to "define a comprehensive vision for the reuse of the High Line as an original 1.5-mile-long public open space." In stating that objective, the competition sponsors ask that one portion of each submitted proposal depict a vision for the Line in its entirety. However, the size and level of specificity of that part of the proposal, and the percentage of space it occupies on the proposal boards, is completely up to entrants. The other three competition objectives (addressing access, spaces below the Line, and the public environment atop the Line) could all focus on a portion of the Line rather than the Line's entire length, if an entrant so desires.
RESOURCES
Q: I do not live in New York and would like to get a better sense of the neighborhoods through which the High Line runs. Are there pictures available?
A: Some new photos of the High Line itself have recently been added to the "Resources" section of the competition guidelines. Also under "Resources," we've just added a list of links to newspaper and magazine articles about the High Line neighborhoods, as well as a link to Manhattan Community Board No. 4, through which the High Line passes.
Q: Can contestants use images from the Friends of the High Line Web site and the publication Reclaiming the High Line on boards submitted as competition entries?
A: Contestants may use images from the FHL Web site the and the publication Reclaiming the High Line for their submitted competition boards ONLY. The images MAY NOT be used for publication, commercial use, or for any other purpose.
Q: Do you have information on the heights of the buildings flanking the High Line, on the height of the High Line, span between pillars, width and placement of tracks, etc.?
A: FHL does not have any information available that is not currently featured on the "Resources" section of the competition guidelines.
RAILS-TO-TRAILS & RAIL-BANKING
Q: I understand that the High Line may be preserved, opened as public open space, and transferred from private to public control using a Federal program called "rail-banking." Does rail-banking require that the structure be kept be train-ready" - i.e. that trains can immediately start running again if necessary?
A: No, the structure does not have to be kept "train-ready."
Q: Does it mean the tracks need to stay in place?
A: No, the tracks do not need to remain in place.
Q: Does it mean the High Line must stay physically connected to the national rail system?
A: To qualify for rail-banking, the easement that allows the High Line to exist-but not necessarily the structure itself or its tracks-needs to remain viably connected to the national rail system, allowing the future potential for the reestablishment of rail service. Simply put, proposals must maintain an easement or right-of-way that allows the construction of tracks and/or other infrastructure necessary to reestablish future rail service connected to the national rail system.
Q: Do rail-banking requirements prohibit us from building structures on the High Line?
A: Structures built on the High Line must not obstruct public passage through the open space created by rail-banking, and they must not be so large or permanent that they could not reasonably be removed if rail-service should one day be reestablished. For example, a tourist information book or coffee kiosk at one side of the High Line that still allows the public to pass by unobstructed is acceptable. A commercial environment that requires paid admission is prohibited. A foundation support for a large-scale structure that could not be removed is prohibited.
DESIGN
Q: Can design proposals incorporate the buildings surrounding the High Line?
A: The competition sponsors encourage entrants to concentrate on the elevated structure itself, the way access systems might be developed (including access that might be incorporated into existing and new buildings next to the Line), treatments for spaces under the Line, and designs for the Line's upper deck, more than on the design of surrounding buildings. Designing the High Line is about creating a new public space that works in relation to a evolving urban neighborhood.
FUTURE OWNERSHIP
Q: Who will have ownership of the Line in the future: CSX, the City or State of New York, or a private party?
A: In December 2002, the City of New York took the first step toward "rail-banking" the Line by filing a request for a Certificate of Interim Trail Use (or CITU) with the Federal Surface Transportation Board. A CITU would allow the City to negotiate with CSX, the railroad that now owns the High Line, to define mutually agreeable terms allowing the City take control of the structure and its easement, either by deed or lease. The City could then choose to manage the Line's conversion itself or negotiate with another public, public/private, or non-profit entity to manage the process.
A.D.A. COMPLIANCE
Q: When discussing access systems, your guidelines mention the need for A.D.A. compliance. What is A.D.A.?
A: A.D.A. is short for the Americans with Disabilities Act. In order to insure equal access to places of public accommodation by persons with disabilities, the A.D.A. has established design guidelines. For more information of A.D.A. and its guidelines, go to http://www.ada.gov.
Jury and Awards
Jurors
Julie Bargmann
Landscape Architect and Professor of Landscape architecture at the University of Virginia
Julie Bargmann is nationally recognized as an innovative designer with over 15 years of experience in the building of regenerative places and in research-based graduate design education. Her on-going design research Project D.I.R.T. (Design Investigations Reclaiming Terrain) focuses on the cultural and ecological potential of working with complex processes of reclaiming industrial sites. As Associate Professor at the University of Virginia School of Architecture, Bargmann explores emerging technologies of remediation as the students invent design alternatives for evolutionary transformations of contaminated communities. At her small design practice D.I.R.T. studio, Bargmann collaborates with engineers, scientists, architects and artists on industrial and urban landscapes across the country. Projects range from the revitalization of Ford Motor Company's River Rouge plant to redevelopment of a ConEdison power plant on the East River of Manhattan. Currently Bargmann is working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on reuse and remediation design frameworks of Superfund sites along with completing a Graham Foundation Grant supported publication "Toxic Beauty" forthcoming from Princeton Architecture Press.
Vishaan Chakrabarti
Director of Manhattan Office, New York City Department of City Planning
In October, 2002, Vishaan Chakrabarti, AIA, was appointed Director of the Manhattan Office for the New York Department of City Planning. A key member of the Department's executive staff responsible for fulfilling the agency's mission in Manhattan, Chakrabarti advises the Mayor's Office and the City Planning Commission on planning issues throughout the borough, manages the thirty-person team constituting the Manhattan Office, and acts as the primary liaison to a wide range of stakeholders including elected officials, community organizations, major institutions, and private sector entities on matters of urban design, land use, and economic development.
Chakrabarti leads the City's urban design effort for the redevelopment of Lower Manhattan in the wake of 9/11. Other major initiatives he is currently directing include Hudson Yards, a forty year plan for the redevelopment of the far West side of Manhattan representing 360 acres of new commercial, residential and open space development; the redevelopment of the High Line, a 1.5 mile abandoned elevated railway, as a new linear park; and a river to river master plan for Harlem's 125th Street corridor including a major new presence for Columbia University.
Prior to joining the Department of City Planning, Chakrabarti had been an Associate Partner for the New York Office of Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill, LLP, where since 1996 he managed numerous architecture and urban design projects worldwide including the new headquarters for the New York Stock Exchange.
Chakrabarti holds a Master's degree in Architecture from the University of California at Berkeley, a Masters degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and dual Bachelor's degrees in Art History and Engineering from Cornell University. He is also a Registered Architect in the State of New York.
Chakrabarti is a David Rockefeller Fellow, a Crain's "40 under 40," is involved in numerous civic organizations, and frequently publishes, lectures, and serves on design juries. He lives in Manhattan with his wife Maria Alataris, who is also an architect, and their son Evan.
John Lee Compton
Co-Chair Chelsea Preservation and Planning Committee, Manhattan Community Board No. 4
John Lee Compton is Co-Chair of the Chelsea Preservation & Planning Committee of Manhattan Community Board No. 4, President of the Council of Chelsea Block Associations and a member of the Executive Committee of the Chelsea Waterside Park Association. He has lived in Chelsea since 1987. He also is a co-founder and the CEO of BioAgriCultural Enterprises, LLC, a member of the Executive Committee of the NYS Biodiversity Research Institute, and a former member of the Board of Directors of the NY Biotechnology Association.
Lynne Cook
Curator, Dia Art Foundation
Lynne Cooke is the Curator at Dia Center for the Arts, New York (1990 to present), and a writer and lecturer on contemporary art. B.A., Melbourne University; M.A., Courtauld Institute of Art; Ph.D., London University. Lecturer, History of Art Department, University College, London University (1979-89); visiting lecturer, Visual Arts Department, Syracuse University (1987) and Graduate Sculpture School, Yale University (1990, 1992, 1998), School of the Arts, Columbia University. Co-curator, Aperto, Venice Biennale (1986); co-curator, Carnegie International (1991). Artistic director, Biennale of Sydney (1996). In addition to ongoing exhibitions at Dia Center for the Arts, she has curated exhibitions at the Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol; Whitechapel Art Gallery and Hayward Gallery, London; Third Eye Center, Glasgow; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; The American Center, Paris; The Israel Museum, Jerusalem; Neues Museum Weserburg, Bremen; Dia Center for the Arts, New York; Arkipelag, Stockholm; Galerie f�r Zeitgen�ssische Kunst, Leipzig; K�lnischer Kunstverein, Cologne and elsewhere. She has written widely about contemporary art in exhibition catalogues including Ann Hamilton (Dia Center for the Arts, New York, 1995), Louise Bourgeois (Reina Sofia, Madrid, 1999), Gary Hill (Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, 1993), Rebecca Horn (Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover, 1997), Richard Serra (Dia Center for the Arts, New York, 1997), Andreas Gursky (Kunsthalle D�sseldorf, D�sseldorf, 1998), Douglas Gordon (Kunstverein Hannover, Hannover 1998), Louise Bourgeois (Reina Sophia, Madrid), and Roni Horn (Phaidon, London, 2000). She writes regularly in Burlington Magazine, Parkett and other art journals. Currently co-curating Forward in Brussels. Most recent exhibitions at Dia: Jo Baer, the Minimalist Years 1960-1975, Rosemarie Trockel, Spleen.
Steven Holl
Architect
Steven Holl founded Steven Holl Architects in New York in 1976. SHA is a design-oriented office, with a current staff of 25. The firm has been recognized internationally with numerous awards, publications and exhibitions for quality and excellence in design. Currently, our competition-winning design for the 165,000 sf Expansion of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, has begun construction to be completed in 2004. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, our 195,000 sf Undergraduate Dormitories completed construction in September 2002. The Whitney Waterworks Park and Water Treatment Facility in Hamden, Connecticut began construction in Spring 2002. Other current projects include a new marina development in Beirut, Lebanon, and a new building for the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Iowa. Steven Holl is a tenured faculty member at Columbia University where he has taught since 1981. Other professional affiliations include NCARB, American Institute of Architects, American Association of Museums, Honorary Whitney Circle, Whitney Museum of American Art, and the International Honorary Committee, Viipuri Library, Alvar Aalto Foundation. In July 2001 Time Magazine named Steven Holl as America's Best Architect, for "buildings that satisfy the spirit as well as the eye." Most recently Steven Holl was honored by the Smithsonian Institution with the 2002 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture.
Murray Moss
Owner, Moss
Murray Moss began his career as a professional actor in the United States and Great Britain after his studies at Columbia University and at New York University, School of Arts. In 1978, in collaboration with Dutch designer Ronaldus Shamask, Moss launched the fashion label Moss Shamask, Ltd., which became known for its architectonic, structural designs long before such thinking in clothing came into vogue. Moss Shamask rapidly expanded to include broad manufacturing of women's and men's fashions, international distribution and licensing. In 1991, the company's trademarks and trade names were sold. With the opening of the Moss shop in 1994, in SoHo, Murray Moss was able to infuse basic principles of his previous careers into all aspects of the store -- to dramatic effect. Both a sense of theatre and a sensibility reminiscent of experimental fashion characterize the shop, which presents a highly edited selection of current products created by designers (often discovered by Moss) from around the world. Like an editor or a curator, Moss changes the presentation of products almost daily, keeping the store fresh and current with new ideas. Moss is more influential and successful than most museums for ideas and inspiration. "You go to learn something, not just buy something," Donald Albrecht, senior curator of design at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum said in a recent article. "Murray brings the museum to the store." Moss currently sits on the Boards of Trustees of the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, and the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA). He is also a frequent guest lecturer at world-renowned art academies and universities. In May 2000, Moss was awarded the House Beautiful "Giant's of Design" Award., and was recently awarded the 2002 Chrysler Design Award and the 2002 Russel Wright Award. Moss currently resides in New York City with his business and life partner, Franklin Getchell.
Marilyn Jordan Taylor
Chairman, Skidmore Owings and Merrill
Marilyn Jordan Taylor, FAIA, is an architect and urban designer whose projects focus on bringing design excellence to the public realm. She currently leads SOM's efforts in metropolitan transportation design including the new International Air Terminal at JFK Airport, the expanded Continental gateway at Newark Airport, and the redevelopment of Penn Station at the Farley Building. A noted urban designer, she is also involved in plans for Governor's Island, Columbia University, Lower Manhattan, reclaiming the East River site of Con Ed's Waterside plant, downtown sites in Washington, DC, and the Westside Yards. Ms. Taylor spent her first years with the firm in the Washington, DC office where she participated in projects including Hilton Head Island, the Great Mall, and the Northeast Corridor Improvement Project, a $2.5 billion Federal initiative to improve passenger rail service and the stations and station areas between Washington, DC and Boston. She then moved to New York to lead the Urban Design and Planning practice, where she has been involved in projects such as Riverside South, Tribeca Bridge, Route 9A, Transitional Housing for the Homeless, Columbia University East Campus, Chase Metrotech, and north-end residential strategies in Battery Park City. Her projects beyond New York City range from Providence Capital Center in Rhode Island, Celebration New Town in Florida, and the New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts, to Canary Wharf in London and EuroDisney in France. She also led the team that produced the award-winning Transit-Friendly Land Use Planning, a manual for citizens and municipal officials throughout New Jersey. Since 1985, Ms. Taylor has brought the skills of urban design and architecture to a number of airport and transportation projects, culminating in the establishment of "SOM Airports", a planning and design practice addressing passenger-serving facilities at major transportation centers. Ms. Taylor is very active in civic activities in New York, and serves on the boards of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women) and the Institute for Urban Design. She is currently serving as Chairman of the New York Building Congress. She is Past President of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and has also chaired the AIA's national Regional and Urban Design Committee. In 1995 she was selected as a David Rockefeller Fellow of the New York City Partnership, spending a year studying the city's public policy issues and strategies. In 1998 she was honored as the CREW Woman of the Year, and she has been twice named to the Crain's List of Most Influential Women. She frequently lectures and serves on juries. Ms. Taylor was educated at Radcliffe College, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California at Berkeley. She is married to Brainerd O. Taylor, an urban designer and transportation planner, and has two children. Ms. Taylor holds the position of SOM Chairman, a two-year term, which began on October 1, 2001. Ms. Taylor is the first woman to head the firm. In addition to her leadership on many of SOM's most urban and complex projects, as Chairman, Ms. Taylor will assume responsibility for SOM's strategic vision and direction.
Signe Nielsen
Landscape Architect and Urban Designer
Signe Nielsen brings extensive experience to the field of landscape architecture. She has designed and supervised the construction of over $185 million worth of projects including private estates, waterfront parks, large campuses, urban transportation improvements, and corporate facilities in the United States and abroad. A Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Ms. Nielsen's design work has received awards from the Art Commission of the City of New York, the ASLA, the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission, and the New York State Association of the American Institute of Architects. Her work has been published in the periodicals Progressive Architecture, Architectural Record, and Landscape Architecture and in the books International Landscape Design, Designing the New Landscape, and Yearbook of Landscape Architecture, among others. Exhibits of her work have been shown in New York, Washington DC and Chicago. Born in Paris, Ms. Nielsen holds degrees in Urban Planning from Smith College; in Landscape Architecture from City College of New York; and in and in Construction Management from Pratt Institute. Prior to forming Mathews Nielsen, Ms. Nielsen worked with such distinguished design firms as Quennell Rothschild Associates, M. Paul Friedberg and Partners, and Doxiadis Associates in Athens, Greece. Ms. Nielsen, principal of her own design firm for 20 years, also directed a landscape construction and maintenance firm for 10 years. Ms. Nielsen has been a speaker and juror for events sponsored by many professional and educational organizations and served as a panelist on the New York State Council on the Arts. She is currently a Professor in both the graduate and undergraduate Schools of Architecture at Pratt Institute and has been a faculty member at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and City College School of Architecture. Ms. Nielsen is a registered landscape architect in New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Maryland and holds a Council of Landscape Architectural Review Boards certificate.
Bernard Tschumi
Architect, Dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation
Bernard Tschumi is an architect and educator. First known as a theorist, he exhibited and published The Manhattan Transcripts (1981) and wrote Architecture and Disjunction, a series of theoretical essays (MIT Press, 1994). In 1983, he won the prestigious competition to design the Parc de la Villette, a 125-acre, $300-million public park containing dramatic buildings, walkways, bridges, and gardens at the northeast edge of Paris. Tschumi established his Paris office in 1983, followed by the New York office in 1988. Today, projects that are completed or under construction include Le Fresnoy National Studio for Contemporary Arts in Tourcoing, France (1997); Columbia University's Lerner Hall Student Center (1999); Marne La Vall�e School of Architecture, Paris (1999); the Interface Flon, a bus, train, and subway station and pedestrian bridge in Lausanne, Switzerland (2001); a 8,000-person/70,000-square-foot Concert Hall and Exhibition Complex in Rouen, France (2001); and the 100,000 square-foot Florida International University School of Architecture in Miami, Florida. He was one of the three international finalists selected by The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1997 to design its new expansion. He is currently designing the Museum for African Art in New York, the New Acropolis Museum in Athens, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sao Paolo, which were all winning entries to international competitions, as well as building in Cincinnati and Geneva, Switzerland.
A permanent US resident who holds both French and Swiss nationalities, Bernard Tschumi came to the United States in 1976. Tschumi studied in Paris and at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, from which he received his degree in 1969. He taught at the Architectural Association in London (1970-79), the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York (1976), Princeton University (1976 and 1980) and the Cooper Union (1981-3). He has been Dean of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University in New York from 1988 to 2003.
Tschumi is a member of the Coll�ge International de Philosophie in France and the recipient of many distinguished honors, including the L�gion d'Honneur, and the Ordre des Arts et Lettres. He was awarded France's Grand Prix National d'Architecture in 1996, as well as awards from the American Institute of Architects and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Robert Hammond
Director, Friends of the High Line
Reed Kroloff
Competition Advisor
Reed Kroloff is an independent architectural consultant and commentator based in Washington, DC. He previously served as Editor-in-Chief of Architecture magazine. Under his direction, Architecture garnered more awards for editorial and design excellence than any magazine of its type, and quickly became the leading design publication in the nation. Prior to joining Architecture in 1995, Mr. Kroloff taught at Arizona State University (ASU), where he remains a tenured Associate Professor in the School of Architecture. At ASU, he received the first-ever Award for Academic Excellence from the Arizona chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Mr. Kroloff serves on numerous boards and advisory councils, ranging from the Dean's Council at the University of Tennessee to the Register of Peer Professionals of the United States General Services Administration. Mr. Kroloff counts among his clients the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the University of Connecticut, the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Vivendi Universal. He writes and lectures widely, and is a regular visiting critic at architecture schools and professional organizations across the country. Reed Kroloff holds degrees from the University of Texas at Austin and Yale University, and has practiced architecture in Texas and Arizona.
Jury Process
Jurors will assess the submissions and determine winners. Jurors will base their judgment on their own expertise, the work submitted by the competitors, the information contained in the competition document, and any questions and answers that arise during the judging process. Each juror will examine every submission.
The firms, partners, and professional associates of the jurors are enjoined from participating in the competition. If a juror is found to be knowingly involved in any material way with a submission, the juror will be replaced at the discretion of the Professional Advisor.
Jurors who cannot attend each meeting of the jury may be replaced by an alternate selected by the Professional Advisor and the sponsor. The Professional Advisor will observe jury meetings to ensure impartial enforcement of the competition's regulations and intentions. Representatives of the sponsor may also attend jury meetings as observers. If the jury deadlocks, the Professional Advisor will cast the tie-breaking vote.
Selection Criteria
Selection criteria will include:
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Originality of the proposal's design vision |
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Responsiveness of the proposal to the competition's objectives |
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Responsiveness of the proposal to the site and its context |
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Quality and clarity of presentation materials |
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Responsiveness of the proposal to these instructions |
Awards
The jury will award three cash prizes and ten honorable mentions. The top prize is $5,000, followed by a $2,500 prize and a $1,000 prize.
In addition, a prize will awarded (prize-type to be determined) to the most compelling solution to the challenge of universal access to the structure's elevated rail platform.
Also, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is sponsoring a $1,500 "New York Heritage Award" prize for the best design incorporating the New York area's native plants and wildflowers.
Honorable Mention citations will not include a cash prize. This is an ideas competition. Friends of the High Line has no authority or intention to award contracts for design services as a result of this competition. Winners should consider their award strictly as recognition of excellent work in this competition.
A large selection of the competition entries, including all of the award winners, will be exhibited at Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall, July 10-26. A publication and website will accompany the exhibition (see "Exhibition and Publication," below).
Rules
Everyone involved with this competition must comply with the conditions and procedures laid out in these instructions. Failure to do so will lead to immediate elimination from the process.
Eligibility
The competition is open to anyone not specifically excluded. Exclusions: The firms, partners, and professional associates of the jurors; and employees of Friends of the High Line are enjoined from participating in the competition. If it is determined that a competitor is in any material way related to a juror or to Friends of the High Line, that competitor's project will be disqualified.
Anonymity
The sponsors of this competition will protect the integrity of its process vigorously. Competitors must not communicate with the jury about the competition in any way until a public announcement of the winners is made. Any competitor or juror found in active violation of this rule will be disqualified immediately by the Professional Advisor, whose decision is final.
Competitors will be required to register their intention to enter, and this registration must be received not later than April 25, 2003. Late registrations will be accepted between April 26, 2003 and May 16, 2003, requiring a supplementary fee (see "Fees," above.) Registration may be accomplished via the competition website or by postal mail. At the time of registration, each competitor will be assigned a unique identification number and provided with confirmation of registration.
All entries must be submitted without any marks, logos, insignia, or writing on the display surfaces that identify their authorship. Failure to comply with this rule will lead to immediate disqualification. Competitors must affix an opaque envelope to the rear of each competition board. Both the envelope and the board must be labeled only with the registration identification number. Sealed inside this envelope should be a copy of the registration confirmation and entry forms. Before judging, these envelopes will be removed, and the front of the board labeled with the identification number. Only at the end of the judging will the names of the competitors be revealed to the jury.
Return of Entries
All competition materials become the property of the competition sponsor and will not be returned.
Ownership and Copyright
All drawings, photographs, photocopies, and other physical materials submitted to the competition become the property of Friends of the High Line, and may be retained for archival purposes and possible exhibition and publication (see "Exhibition and Publication"). Each Competitor will retain full copyright of all their materials unless otherwise assigned (see "Exhibition and Publication," below).
Exhibition and Publication
Friends of the High Line will exhibit a selection of competition entries-including all award-winners-in a high-profile Manhattan location in Summer 2003. Further, Friends of the High Line intends to publish the results of the competition in a publication and on a website in Summer 2003. In any exhibition, publication, or website, Friends of the High Line will make every effort to properly credit the appropriate competitors. Since FHL retains ownership of all competition materials (see "Ownership and Copyright"), they reserve the right to utilize them in any publication or promotional endeavor in perpetuity, and without compensation to the entrants.
Disqualification
No partner, associate, or employee of any jury member may participate in the competition, nor may any jury member compete in association with, advise, or assist a competitor in any way. No employee of Friends of the High Line may participate in this competition.
Each registered individual/team may make only one submission per registration. If an individual or team wishes to enter an additional submission, (s)he or they must register an additional time. Student entrants registered in studios may make only one submission. If a student entrant wishes to make an additional submission, (s)he must register a second time as an individual.
The Professional Advisor may invalidate any entries that: arrive after the deadline, or are incomplete in any significant fashion; or contain any visual or written material on the display surfaces of the entry that in any way identifies the author to the jury.
Entrants who fail to observe the provisions in these rules will be declared ineligible and the jury shall be so informed by the Professional Advisor. The sponsor's decision in respect to any such disqualification shall be final and binding on all parties.
Communications & Professional Advisor
The Professional Advisor for this competition is responsible for the preparation of this packet, the administration of the competition, and the development and enforcement of its rules and procedures. Any and all communication relative to the competition must be directed to him in writing by letter or email. For addresses, see "Welcome," above. Any competitor who attempts to contact sponsors or the jurors may be disqualified from the competition.
Disputes
The jury, by a majority vote, has the sole authority and responsibility to recommend winners at the end of the competition. Any disputes will be resolved by the Professional Advisor in consultation with Friends of the High Line.
To Register
Prospective entrants to "Designing the High Line" may register online or offline.
Online Registration - CLOSED
When registering online, prospective entrants will proceed through a series of panels, entering required information as directed. The process will end at a panel containing a registration confirmation and registration number. This panel must be printed out and later submitted with competition entry (see "Submission Requirements," above. Online registration requires entrants to pay their registration fee by credit card (Mastercard, Visa, American Express, Discover) using the secure PayPal system. Questions about online registration should be directed to 212-631-9188 or [email protected].
Offline Registration - CLOSED
To register offline, prospective entrants must print out registration form (click button below to view and print form), fill it out, and mail it or fax it to Friends of the High Line as indicated on the form. When mailing, payment may be made by credit card, personal check, cashier's check, or money order. When faxing, payment must be made by credit card. Friends of the High Line will mail back a registration confirmation and registration number, which must later be submitted with competition entry (see "Submission Requirements," above.)
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Do Not Trespass
The High Line is currently owned by the City of New York. It is not open to the public. Please do not trespass. |
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