Re:Construction

John Street at Broadway

GRO Architects

Best Pedestrian Route is a new temporary pedestrian walkway inspired by the graphic symbols of construction zones including two-dimensional diagonal stripes, bold arrows and signage. The project is sited along the north side of John Street between Broadway and Na…  more

John Street at Broadway

GRO Architects

Best Pedestrian Route is a new temporary pedestrian walkway inspired by the graphic symbols of construction zones including two-dimensional diagonal stripes, bold arrows and signage. The project is sited along the north side of John Street between Broadway and Nassau Streets, installed against the south facade of the MTA-owned historic Corbin Building.

The slanting form of the project invites pedestrians to explore the shifting boundaries between graphic symbol and four-dimensional space/time within a construction zone and on the sidewalk. Situated along the southern boundary of a future entry into the new MTA Fulton Street Transit Center, this route will guide pedestrians across a changing streetscape, immersing them for a few moments in an environment that transforms the familiar symbols of construction into dreamy recollections of summer. Graphic arrow symbols are multiplied and rotated across the length of the iconic orange and white interior cladding, arranged in a flow pattern that transforms the familiar directional symbol into abstract ‘leaves’, guiding visitors through a dynamic interplay of light and shadow.

The tilted and swooping form of Best Pedestrian Route is made possible by using digital fabrication technologies to precisely cut all of the components off-site on a computer-numerically-controlled (CNC) mill. The pre-fabricated component parts make the assembly of this temporary structure possible in the course of several hours, not unlike the construction barriers that shift daily. Best Pedestrian Route is conceived as a system of walkways, allowing visitors to shift their attention from the disruption of construction to a projected future of downtown.

Fulton Street at Broadway

Carolina Cisneros, Carlos J. Gómez de Llarena, Mateo Pintó

This collaborative of Venezuelan architects and new-media designers blends the functional with the playful using re-purposed construction materials. Accents of orange and yellow plastic construction mesh…  more

Fulton Street at Broadway

Carolina Cisneros, Carlos J. Gómez de Llarena, Mateo Pintó

This collaborative of Venezuelan architects and new-media designers blends the functional with the playful using re-purposed construction materials. Accents of orange and yellow plastic construction meshes, industrial caution lights, safety signage and the chain-link fencing that universally signify construction-in-progress will be collaged into a vibrant op-art mural bounding the water main retrofitting on Fulton Street. These treatments will be affixed in segments following the 10-foot long section frames of chain-link fencing that currently encircle the construction site. At the time of installation the team will establish a primary linear pattern along the line of the fence that combines 30 or more of these modules. As these modules get moved around by the contractors due to on-going construction needs, these new arrangements will create unpredictable patterns conveying the very history of the construction as it progresses.

As part of the piece, the team will continually be building a web-based project, which will become the location of an online intervention that seeks to parallel the construction of the physical site with the construction of a ‘space’ within the Internet. This digital destination takes the form of a continually scrolling web page as both an organizational tool and analog of strolling down the perimeter of the project on Fulton Street. Just as the physical installation weaves elements of vernacular construction materials into the frame of the fence, the website will embed media driven ‘interventions’: process documentation, location information, online widget mash-ups, and mobile downloads among others.

These two explorations – one architectural, the other online – seek to re-define ‘under-construction sites’ as expressive spaces in a city of ongoing transformation.

Visit the Fulton Fence website.

Broadway from Ann to John Street

Tattfoo Tan

This whimsical project puns on the common metaphor ‘concrete jungle’ by morphing the banal orange safety stripes on jersey barriers into brilliantly colored “zebra” strips adding an element of the natural wild to our urban maze. Desi…  more

Broadway from Ann to John Street

Tattfoo Tan

This whimsical project puns on the common metaphor ‘concrete jungle’ by morphing the banal orange safety stripes on jersey barriers into brilliantly colored “zebra” strips adding an element of the natural wild to our urban maze. Designed to accommodate the weather and the mercurial nature of construction sites, the sections of jersey barriers can be reconfigured or moved to future sites as the standard fluorescent traffic paint utilized in the project retains the original traffic safety features.

Best Pedestrian Route

Site: MTA Fulton Street Transit Center (adjacent to the historic Corbin Building)

Design: GRO Architects, PLLC: Richard Garber + Nicole Robertson (Principals) Patrick Candalla, Scott Corey, Philip Lee, Erin Ross

Fabrication: GRO Architects with NJIT School of Architecture, Newark…  more

Best Pedestrian Route

Site: MTA Fulton Street Transit Center (adjacent to the historic Corbin Building)

Design: GRO Architects, PLLC: Richard Garber + Nicole Robertson (Principals) Patrick Candalla, Scott Corey, Philip Lee, Erin Ross

Fabrication: GRO Architects with NJIT School of Architecture, Newark, NJ: Chris Booth, Adam Brillhart, Greg Capone, Eric Felczak, Justin Foster, Michael Genauer, John Im, Ninett Moussa, Lauren Page, Shahed Syed, Mathew Staudt; Joseph Lozito, Principal, Helix Partners LLC; and MTA/MTA Capital Construction

Aluminum: Advanced Cutting Services (ACS) Water Jet, Roselle, NJ: Bob Balchunas

Structural Engineering: Buro Happold Consulting Engineers, New York, NY: Craig Schwitter (Partner), Gijs Libourel (Associate)

Fulton Fence

Artists: Carolina Cisneros, Carlos J. Gómez de LLarena and Mateo Pintó

Collaborators: Darrin Amelio, Eric Anglés, Douglas Back, Alessandro Cimini, Jeff Coe, Adrian Ertorteguy, Marcelo Ertorteguy, Elio Franceschelli, Pilita Garcia, Jaime Gili, Andres Jimenez, Ira Jones, Aya Karpinska, Ignacio Lamar, Johana Langford, Victoria Marshall, Esperanza Mayobre, Macia Pintó, Pablo Sanchez, Edward Schexnayder, Roberto Sosa, Pablo Souto, Niso Tamoulis, Sara Valente, Paulina Villanueva, Stan Wiechers, David Yates

The artists of Fulton Fence would like to give special thanks to: Whitney Barrat, Adam Kleinman, and Judlau Contracting

Concrete Jungle

Artist: Tattfoo Tan

Collaborators: Ensze Tan, Anil Bathwal, Peter Poby, Catarina Leitao and Joseph Maffe

Tattfoo Tan would like to give special thanks to: ADNY Operations for power washing, whitewashing and supplemental maintenance, and security