Pier 62 Carousel

Completed:
2010
Team:
Jonathan Dreyfous
Victoria A. Rospond
Peter Girzone
Goetz Menzel
Sally Zambrano-Olmo
Anke Roggenbuck
Gloria Kim
Location:
New York, NY
Budget:
$3.5 million
Awards:
Project Award 2007
AIA NY Chapter

The carousel pavilion on Segment 5, Pier 62 is an architectural component of the landscape design comprising 8 acres of Hudson River Park — what has become the largest breadth of park along the Hudson River in Manhattan. The carousel enclosure is emphasized by an exposed structure and includes materials that recall the site’s warehouse past. It also provides a gradation of program from the romantic park setting to the nearby sports recreation spaces of Chelsea Piers.

Staggered steel trusses provide cover for the carousel from direct sunlight, creating a darkened space and heightening the drama of the carousel color and lights. The roof orientation effectively engages the pier, the lawn and the pathways to the north. The wood decking of the pier extends along the ground into the pavilion, up onto the wall and ceiling surface — thus enforcing a material continuity between pavilion and pier. A green roof (planted with sedum and other local grasses) prevents water runoff into the Hudson River. Through these elements, the pavilion acts as a shelter, a backdrop and a convergence of landscape and building.