MIDWAYGRAY
BLADE RUNNER TOWER
MIXED USED MIDDLE CLASS HOUSING IN HALLET'S POINT, ASTORIA QUEENS
AS PART OF THE HALLET'S POINT DEVELOPMENT PROJECT, THE WATERFRONT IS LIKELY TO BECOME A WALL OF HIGHRISES IF ONE CONSIDERS THE REZONING AND SUBSEQUENT GENTRIFICATION OF SIMILIAR INDUSTRIAL WATERFRONT AREAS INTO RESIDENTIAL ZONES THROUGHOUT NEARBY BROOKLYN AND COUNTLESS OTHER CITIES.
THE GOAL WAS TO PROVIDE THE TOWER THAT IS THE ANTI TOWER. ONE WHICH DOES NOT BLOCK THE WATERFRONT SOLELY FOR ITS OCCUPANTS, BUT RATHER A STRUCTURE THAT FRAMES AND REARRANGES VIEWS IN ALL DIRECTIONS FROM UP CLOSE AND AT A DISTANCE.
FURTHER THE IDEA OF OPENNESS AND POROSITY IS EXTENDED PROGRAMMATICALLY BY INCORPORATING A DOUBLE STORY PUBLIC SPACE IN THE UPPER PART OF THE TOWER. ADDITIONALLY THE GROUND FLOOR CONNECTS THE SITE TO THE WATER PROVIDING AN OCCUPIABLE VESTIBULE.THIS TRANSITION SPACE EMPLOYS A RETAINING WALL TO PROTECT USERS FROM THE TORRENTIAL WATERS AT THIS UNIQUE INTERSECTION OF THE HARLEM AND EAST RIVERS.
THIS UNDER TOWER AREA AND THE UNPROGRAMMED GRASSY SPACE ALONG THE WATER SEAMLESSLY CONNECT
TO THE EXISTING ADJACENT BALLPARK ESSENTIALLY EXPANDING AN OPENLY ACCESSIBLE PARK SPACE. HALLET'S POINT HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN KNOWN AS A RECREATIONAL RETREAT SPACE AND IN THIS SCENARIO THAT COMMUNITY ASSET IS MAINTAINED AND EXPANDED FOR THE GREATER NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL AS PROVIDING A LINK TO A LONG STANDING EFFORT/PROPOSAL FOR A CONTINUOUS GREENWAY ALONG THE WATERFRONTS OF [ULTIMATELY] ALL FIVE BOROS.
UPPER PUBLIC FLOOR INCLUDES MULTIPURPOSE ROOMS WHICH CAN BE FURTHER DIVIDED FOR INDIVIDUAL USE; A SMALL MEETING ROOM AND A LARGE GATHERING ROOM; BOTH MEETING/PERFORMANCE SPACES HAVE ONLY TWO OPAQUE SIDES WITH LARGE RETRACTABLE CURTAINS AVAILABLE WHEN NEEDED. A MEANDERING MEZZANINE PENETRATES BOTH OF THESE SPACES WHILE ALSO RUNNING ALONG THE EXTERIOR GLASS WALL; ADDITIONALLY THERE IS A CAFE AND UNISEX ACCESSIBLE RESTROOM FACILITIES.
LOOKING INTO CAFE (NW) FROM SLOPED EXTERIOR RAMPS (SE)
