A Rockaway Peninsula site first designated for development seven years ago is now serving as a laboratory for post-storm design. The site in question, Arverne East, is an 80+-acre span where development was halted by the credit crisis. The developers (L & M Development Partners, Triangle Equities, and the Bluestone Organization) partnered with the city's Department of Housing Preservation & Development and other sponsors to launch a competition for a mixed-use, mixed-income, sustainable, and storm-resilient design for the site. Four finalists were chosen in July, and today, the development team announced the winner, Stockholm, Sweden-based White Arkitekter. The firm will receive $30,000 and the opportunity to meet with developers to "discuss its ideas for the possible production, design and construction of the site." In other words, this design might not get built, but we may see elements of it in play once Arverne East is developed.
White Arkitekter worked with two NYC-based architecture firms, ARUP and Gensler, on their proposal, which they called "Small Means & Great Ends." The result, as the archibabble puts it, "incorporates a series of small, affordable, and smart interventions that center on three strategies: reduce and control damage; provide access in the event of a storm; and ensure quick recovery."
The winning team put together a 45-page informational packet, which is available for download on the competition site. The proposal includes "social nodes"?a nature preserve, parks, a town square, a wetland park with children's programming, and community gardens?sandbanks and other features to protect against storm surges, and a mix of housing units near the Beach 44th Street Station. There will also be spaces available for rent by local shops and businesses near the proposed town square.
· Competition Launched to Develop Stalled Rockaways Site [Curbed]
· Finalists Revealed for Stalled Rockaway Site's Redesign [Curbed]
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