Resembling tulips rising in varying height enthrals to capture magnificence and drama. Thomas Heatherwick’s Pier 55 park within New York’s Hudson River renamed as Little Island sparks waves among the citizens. Visuals reveal cast-in concrete planters lifted by cranes to sit atop poles in the water. Designed to rise between 15 to 62 feet above the river. Besides, the forms envisage a topographical landscape capturing different views of the city.

The project takes shape at 55 Hudson Greenway on the Hudson River, just off the shoreline in Chelsea neighbourhood. Heatherwick Studio’s design obviously incorporates 132 planters mushroom-shaped concrete columns elevating above the water to create new parkland.

“It’s a joyous feeling to see Little Island rise in the Hudson River, and now I can’t wait for New Yorkers and its visitors to cross the bridge, in addition, leave the boisterous city behind, and play, lay back and be stimulated every which way by the Island,” said media mogul Barry Diller, co-founder of Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation.

The Vision of a Greenspace

Little Island envisioned to subsequently compose and host community events, performances, arts and educational programmes. The British studio in collaboration with Signe Nielsen of Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects designed the 2.4-acre-green campus. The spaces indeed include lawns, walkways and paths and rolling hills. The island sets home to 100 species of trees and shrubs.

Architectural visualizations show that the park can be accessed from entrances on 13th and 14th Streets via elevated walkways. Slated for completion in 2021, Little Island has overcome several stumbling blocks since it unveiling in November 2014. The project intends to replace an old pier. They gained planning permission in 2016 but came up against a series of court challenges and permit issues. This caused costs to balloon from $35 million to $250 million.

The structure also faced opposition from the City Club of New York’s advocacy group. They argued that the structure was not suitable for its proposed location in a protected estuary. Now well underway, the park interweaves many projects designed by Heatherwick. For areas along the Hudson River and near the elevated High Line Park.