The new-fangled developments at Lincoln Center are blooming faster than tulips in May, and today we bring you the latest: A big bank of benches going in at the North Plaza. Forget the flat perches of metal mesh as shown in early renderings from architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro. Instead, behold swooping forms of cast stone, encircling the "at grade" planting areas between the Metropolitan Opera and the reflecting pool where a Henry Moore sculpture will once again sit, but now in a newly graded and accessible pool of water. It's all about making the space less buttoned-up and more relaxed.
In the original modernist version of this plaza, mere benches were banned, and the only seating available were the Travertine tops of raised planting beds. Now folks will be able to sit in the sun on sweeping lengths of benchage that morph from upright seating to chaise-like lounges. This gang is turning the multi-block Lincoln Center campus inside out "by extending the spectacle within the performance halls into the mute public spaces between the halls and into the surrounding streets." It's all part of Transforming Lincoln Center, where all involved are hoping to better connect the public promenades to a newly-envisioned "Street of the Arts" along the once dark and dismal West 65th Street. And to think that all we were looking for was a comfy spot to catch some rays before a show.
· Lincoln Center coverage [Curbed]
· Lincoln Center Public Spaces and Infoscape [Diller Scofidio + Renfro]
· Transforming Lincoln Center [Lincoln Center website]