The New York office of Perkins Eastman has announced that the New York Wheel, located on the north shore of Staten Island’s St. George neighborhood, was approved by City Council on October 30 and construction is scheduled to begin in 2014. The approval process has been over a year in the making since the project was first announced by the office of Mayor Bloomberg last September. Perkins Eastman is serving as design architect for the on-site 100,000 square-foot Terminal building.
Perkins Eastman will work closely with Richard Marin, CEO of New York Wheel LLC, and landscape architecture firm M. Paul Friedberg and Partners. The development will comprise retail, entertainment, dining and open space amenities amidst a compelling, integrated waterfront site that will attract millions of tourists and residents year round. Scheduled to open to the public in 2016, this currently underused shore land adjacent to the ferry terminal will become a dynamic mixed-use district. In addition to the 630-foot observation wheel, engineered by the designers of the London Eye, key components to the site will include the Terminal building, a 950-car parking garage, a bus storage facility, and an extensive landscape and sustainability program designed to provide a variety of open spaces. The Perkins Eastman design team is led by Principals Stanton Eckstut FAIA, Navid Maqami AIA, LEED AP, and Associate Principal Jonathan Cohn AIA, LEED AP.
The Terminal and its landscaped roof deck will link the water’s edge with the existing fabric of the site, offering expanses of public space for recreation, picnicking, promenade walks, cultural activities and more. “The design is intended to blur distinctions between architecture and landscape,” says Maqami, who is serving as Design Principal on the project. “The Terminal and its surrounding area will frame the iconic structure of the Wheel while providing great places that connect Richmond Terrace to the waterfront.”
While situated above grade level, the building was inspired by and designed to be part of the landscape itself, while meeting the highest standards for sustainable design and resilient waterfront development. The building’s generous interior will offer visitors clear sight lines to the Wheel, New York Harbor and beyond. Program spaces include ticketing, exhibition space, food and beverage areas, and retail opportunities. Given its proximity to the shoreline and the sustainable energy the site will draw from wind, water and sun, the Terminal building will continually devote space to educational exhibitions on alternative energy, green and resilient design, and the history of New York City, among other topics.
About Perkins Eastman
Perkins Eastman is among the top design and architecture firms in the world. With 700 employees in 13 locations around the globe, Perkins Eastman practices at every scale of the built environment. From niche buildings to complex projects that enrich whole communities, the firm’s portfolio reflects a dedication to progressive and inventive design that enhances the quality of the human experience. The firm’s portfolio includes high-end residential, commercial, hotels, retail, office buildings, and corporate interiors, to schools, hospitals, museums, senior living, and public sector facilities. Perkins Eastman provides award-winning design through its offices in North America (New York, NY; Boston, MA; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Pittsburgh, PA; San Francisco, CA; Stamford, CT; Toronto, Canada; and Washington, DC); South America (Guayaquil, Ecuador); North Africa and Middle East (Dubai, UAE); and Asia (Mumbai, India, and Shanghai, China).
About The New York Wheel LLC
The New York Wheel, located on the North Shore of Staten Island, will be the tallest observation wheel in the world and the only attraction of its kind in New York City. The 630-foot (roughly 60-story) Wheel will feature thirty-six capsules, each carrying up to 40 passengers, that will offer incomparable views of Lower and Midtown Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor, and beyond both the Verrazano and the George Washington Bridges, for the duration of each 38-minute revolution. The attraction will accommodate as many as 1,440 people per trip, and will welcome as many as 30,000 visitors each day and an anticipated 4 million visitors per year.
The New York Wheel project was originally proposed in response to the New York City Economic Development Corporation’s Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) released in 2011 for projects that would increase economic growth, boost tourism, and create jobs on Staten Island. Meir Laufer is the founder of New York Wheel. The New York Wheel has been designed by a team from Starneth B.V., Perkins Eastman Architects and M. Paul Friedberg & Partners. It is expected to begin construction in 2014 with a grand opening scheduled for 2016. For more information about the New York Wheel visitwww.newyorkwheel.com
About M. Paul Friedberg and Partners
MPFP, LLC / M. Paul Friedberg and Partners, established in 1958, is one of the most well known and highly regarded interdisciplinary landscape architecture, urban design and planning firms in the country. Lead by Rick Parisi, FASLA, the firm provides a full range of services including planning, programming, designing, engineering and construction supervision of mixed use, commercial-institutional facilities, and new residential communities, with an emphasis on the creation of parks, play environments, and plazas. MPFP provides the experience and the capability to direct complex projects from concept to implementation, with a sense of continuity and a detailed understanding of site and audience. The firm is also proficient in a variety of environmental analysis, product design and development, graphics, civic and promotional programming, research, and community participation activities. MPFP is highly successful in working with municipalities, arts groups, architects, and artists. From their office in New York, the firm has completed projects in numerous international locations including Israel, Brazil, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, India, Hong Kong and Japan. The quality of their work has been recognized with over 100 professional honors and awards from organizations such as the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Planning Association, the American Institute of Architects, the Building Stone Institute, and the Municipal Arts Society. For more information visit www.mpfp.com
Related Stories
Resiliency | Apr 4, 2023
New bill would limit housing sprawl in fire- and flood-prone areas of California
A new bill in the California Assembly would limit housing sprawl in fire- and flood-prone areas across the state. For the last several decades, new housing has spread to more remote areas of the Golden State.
Sustainability | Apr 4, 2023
ASHRAE releases Building Performance Standards Guide
Building Performance Standards (BPS): A Technical Resource Guide was created to provide a technical basis for policymakers, building owners, practitioners and other stakeholders interested in developing and implementing a BPS policy. The publication is the first in a series of seven guidebooks by ASHRAE on building decarbonization.
Sustainability | Apr 4, 2023
NIBS report: Decarbonizing the U.S. building sector will require massive, coordinated effort
Decarbonizing the building sector will require a massive, strategic, and coordinated effort by the public and private sectors, according to a report by the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS).
Education Facilities | Apr 3, 2023
Oklahoma’s Francis Tuttle Technology Center opens academic center for affordable education and training
Oklahoma’s Francis Tuttle Technology Center, which provides career-specific training to adults and high school students, has completed its Francis Tuttle Danforth Campus—a two-story, 155,000-sf academic building. The project aims to fill the growing community’s rising demand for affordable education and training.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Mar 30, 2023
New University of St. Thomas sports arena will support school's move to Division I athletics
The University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minn., last year became the first Division III institution in the modern NCAA to transition directly to Division I. Plans for a new multipurpose sports arena on campus will support that move.
Healthcare Facilities | Mar 26, 2023
UC Davis Health opens new eye institute building for eye care, research, and training
UC Davis Health recently marked the opening of the new Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute Building and the expansion of the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC). Located in Sacramento, Calif., the Eye Center provides eye care, vision research, and training for specialists and investigators. With the new building, the Eye Center’s vision scientists can increase capacity for clinical trials by 50%.
Libraries | Mar 26, 2023
An abandoned T.J. Maxx is transformed into a new public library in Cincinnati
What was once an abandoned T.J. Maxx store in a shopping center is now a vibrant, inviting public library. The Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library (CHPL) has transformed the ghost store into the new Deer Park Library, designed by GBBN.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 24, 2023
Momentum building for green retrofits in New York City co-ops, condos
Many New York City co-op and condo boards had been resistant to the idea of approving green retrofits and energy-efficiency upgrades, but that reluctance might be in retreat.
Legislation | Mar 24, 2023
New York lawmakers set sights on unsafe lithium-ion batteries used in electric bikes and scooters
Lawmakers in New York City and statewide have moved to quell the growing number of fires caused by lithium-ion batteries used in electric bikes and scooters.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 24, 2023
Multifamily developers offering new car-free projects in car-centric cities
Cities in the South and Southwest have eased zoning rules with parking space mandates in recent years to allow developers to build new housing with less parking.
