When Moynihan Train Hall (née Post Office) opens in 2020, it’s estimated that 100,000 commuters will exit the building and head directly to their gleaming new offices a few blocks west at Hudson Yards. The 2019 Metals in Construction Design Challenge asked participants to submit a concept to “create a new urban pathway,” specifically a pedestrian bridge linking the two sites. A jury of experts in architecture, engineering, and urban design considered 45 qualifying proposals; this year’s jurors included Paul Bauer, AIA, LEED AP, principal, Dattner Architects; Enrica Oliva, M.Sc. Struct. Eng., partner and COO, Werner Sobek NY; Benjamin Prosky, Assoc. AIA, executive director, AIANY; and Claire Weisz, FAIA, founding principal, WXY architecture + urban design. Jack Robbins, AIA, LEED AP, principal and director of urban design, FXCollaborative Architects, served as moderator for jury deliberations.
The jury discussed the six finalists on February 25 at the Times Center and announced the winner of the $15,000 grand prize: a proposal by New York-based DXA Studio with Silman Structural Engineers titled “The Midtown Viaduct,” a floating pathway whose lattice-like steel structure appears both delicate and durable. The jury was impressed with the structural and fabrication feasibility of the project, noting that it added to the urban experience while fulfilling its primary function as a pedestrian expressway.
Finalist teams honored at the event included Lissoni Architettura (“High Lines”); Lukstudio (“The Nexus”); Konrad Brzykcy and Bartlomiej Bogdanik (“The Snake”); Andreu Estany, Joan Bardy, and Paul Greenway (“The Spine”); and Cooper Robertson and Werner Sobek (“Trestle”).
“Midtown Viaduct” DXA Studio Team: Jordan Rogove, DXA Studio (partner); Wayne Norbeck, DXA Studio (partner); Scott Hughes, Silman (structural engineer); and DXA Studio team members Sarah Keane, Sando Thordarson, Shahab Heidari Faroughi, Roman Falcon, Axelle Zemouli, Ryan Barnette, Brian Hellar, and David Scurry.
