Cornell University / December 2016
ARCH 3101: Urban Design
Critic: Henry Richardson
Located along the High Line, in Chelsea, New York
At a Glance: A mixed-use hotel and apartment complex nestled into the gaps and interstitial spaces along the High Line; a love letter to the grit of old NewYork.
Located in Manhattan, the High Line as we know it today is a major pedestrian thoroughfare elevated above the streets of the Chelsea area, as well as a formidable urban generator that invites development in the increasingly desirable surrounding locations. While development has its benefits, many of the grittier — but unique — features of old New York City seem to be dissolving in an ever-deepening sea of chrome and glass.
The project aims to celebrate, rather than tear down, the things once considered eyesores or bulldozer bait, or simply forgotten in passing. The High Line gave its pedestrians the opportunity to see New York from an entirely new viewpoint, bringing intrigue and foot traffic to the areas it touched. The hotel, in turn, takes a cue from the High Line, inviting the public to see those ‘dead’ spaces from a novel perspective and develop a unique relationship with Chelsea’s bricolage of spaces.
The hotel partners with local galleries and businesses by bringing in foot traffic in exchange for a building’s air rights, while also adding in protection from demolition.
A celebration of blank walls, alleyways, and interstitial spaces, inspired by fire escapes and Edison’s EZ Park. A series of boxes, interconnected by a steel framework that winds its unruly tendrils through glamorous art galleries and ‘eyesore’ storage units alike. A hidden garden roosting on top of a gallery, amid air conditioning units and water towers. The In-Between is many things, but above all, it is a homage to the texture of New York, and its omnipresent dialogue between old and new.