Snøhetta’s Times Square redesign, doubles its amount of public space
21/04/2017.
Officially opens [NYC] USA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
metalocus, JOSÉ JUAN BARBA
Architecture firm Snøhetta has completed its redesign of New York's Times Square, almost doubling the pedestrian areas at the busiest place in the US. The project involved the urban reconfiguration and landscaping of 5.18 acres (2.1 hectares) at the "bowtie"-shaped intersection of Broadway and 7th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Times Square’s 8-year-long transformation has been pronounced officially complete.
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New pedestrian plaza between 43rd and 44th Street, looking southwest. Snøhetta’s design of the subtle changes within the public realm such as the elimination of curbs, removal of site clutter and introduction of sculpted granite benches, have dramatically transformed the pedestrian experience within Times Square. New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
View northwest down the reconstructed 7th Avenue sidewalk. The paving orientation reflects the historic alignment of Broadway through the new pedestrian plaza. New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
The new custom pavers are made of pre-cast concrete with two different finishes. Harkening back to Times Square’s history of vibrant marquees and lively entertainment, they are embedded with nickel-sized steel discs that harvest the neon glow from the signs above and playfully scatter it across the paving surface. New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta.
New Times Square by Snøhetta.
New Times Square by Snøhetta.
New Times Square by Snøhetta.
New Times Square by Snøhetta.
Old and New. Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © NYC DOT - Michael Grimm
Old and New. Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © NYC DOT - Michael Grimm
Old and New. Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © NYC DOT - Michael Grimm
Old and New. Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © NYC DOT - Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
New Times Square by Snøhetta. Photograph © Michael Grimm
The Norwegian firm Snøhetta has redesigned a large section of Broadway from 42nd to 47th Street, creating five plazas between each of the cross streets.
The Times Square reconstruction radically carves out 2.5 acres of pedestrian-only space at Manhattan’s core, transforming a notoriously congested intersection into a world-class civic space. Subtle design gestures within the public realm integrate crucial utility and infrastructure upgrades above and below grade, while doubling the amount pedestrian space in the Square.
The design of the new plazas empowers people to move in a natural, comfortable way through Manhattan’s core. With a measurable positive impact on public safety, air quality, and economic output, the project stands as a model for how the carefully considered design of our urban landscapes can improve the health and well-being of its users, while providing an important space for democratic gathering. Conceived as a project whose success would be measured not only by its new aesthetic but also the long-term physical, psychological and economic benefits on its local and global community, the new plaza on Broadway has reinvented Times Square as a contemporary stage for the spectacle of public life, reviving its place at the heart of New York City.
The Times Square reconstruction radically carves out 2.5 acres of pedestrian-only space at Manhattan’s core, transforming a notoriously congested intersection into a world-class civic space. Subtle design gestures within the public realm integrate crucial utility and infrastructure upgrades above and below grade, while doubling the amount pedestrian space in the Square.
The design of the new plazas empowers people to move in a natural, comfortable way through Manhattan’s core. With a measurable positive impact on public safety, air quality, and economic output, the project stands as a model for how the carefully considered design of our urban landscapes can improve the health and well-being of its users, while providing an important space for democratic gathering. Conceived as a project whose success would be measured not only by its new aesthetic but also the long-term physical, psychological and economic benefits on its local and global community, the new plaza on Broadway has reinvented Times Square as a contemporary stage for the spectacle of public life, reviving its place at the heart of New York City.
Description of project by Snøhetta
19.04.207. Today, the New York City Department of Transportation, Department of Design and Construction, Snøhetta, and the Times Square Alliance celebrated the completion of a reinvented Times Square, as the revamped “Crossroads of the World” embraces its role as a stage for public life and freedom of expression.
With an average of 45 million visitors each year, Times Square is the most visited destination in New York and the United States. Following the closure of Broadway to car traffic in 2009, Snøhetta’s design for the permanent pedestrian plaza cleared out decades of old infrastructure cluttering the square while creating a unified ground plane from building front to building front. Ten 50-foot long granite benches allow pedestrians to move through the area more comfortably, complementing the energy of the lights and excitement above.
Since completion in 2016, the Reconstruction has doubled the amount of pedestrian-only space at Manhattan’s core. The design has transformed Times Square from one of New York’s most notoriously congested spaces into a radically open civic square, while also integrating crucial utility and event infrastructure upgrades. “Conceived as a project whose success would be measured not only by its new aesthetic but also the long-term physical, psychological and economic benefits on its community, the reinvention of Times Square stands as a model for how the design of our urban landscapes can improve health and well-being of its users while providing an important stage for public gathering,” said Craig Dykers, Architect and Founding Partner of Snøhetta.
More information
Architecture and landscape design
Snøhetta
Collaborators Colaboradores
Broadcast engineering.- Bexel
Structural engineering.- Buro Happold
Security consulting.- Ducibella Venter and Santore
Lighting design.- Arup/Leni Schwendinger Light Projects
Landscape architecture.- Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects
Security design review.- Rogers Marvel Architects
Civil engineering, traffic engineering, utilities.- Thornton Tomasetti Weidlinger Transportation Practice Security engineering.- Thornton Tomasetti Weidlinger Security Engineering Practice
MEP engineering.- Wesler Cohen
Craig Dykers, Kjetil Thorsen. Snøhetta
Snøhetta is an integrated architecture, landscape, and interior design company based in Oslo, Norway, and New York City, formed in 1989 and led by principals Craig Dykers and Kjetil Thorsen. The firm, which is named after one of Norway's highest mountain peaks, has approximately 100 staff members working on projects around the world. The practice pursues a collaborative, transdisciplinary approach, with people from multiple professions working together to explore diverse perspectives on each project.
Snøhetta has completed a number of critically acclaimed cultural projects, including the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt; the National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, Norway; and the Lillehammer Art Museum in Norway. Current projects include the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center site in New York.
In 2004 Snøhetta received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, and in 2009 the firm was honored with the Mies van der Rohe Award. Snøhetta is the only company to have twice won the World Architecture Award for best cultural building, in 2002 for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and in 2008 for the National Opera and Ballet in Oslo.
