Contextual Flows

AAVS NEW YORK

2019

Project Brief

Continued growth of cities in the near future will bring many questions and challenges. Expansion as an unrestrained invasion into vast space is not a sustainable solution, therefore, inevitably, cities must undergo massive densification.

This project turns its attention towards underutilised spaces and specifically those of enormous infrastructural objects which only serve a single purpose. It aims to add density without compromising the existing use of the site.

The Brooklyn Bridge site has a unique condition of being a major infrastructural intersection and entrance into Manhattan for commuters, both by car and by bicycle, whilst also being a very popular tourist route for pedestrians.

Currently these modes of mobility are very poorly organised and compete for space, creating an unpleasant and often dangerous route. This project explores the possibility of adding density to the site whilst improving its organisation and connectivity.

Contextual Flows

These diagrams are a direct response to the analysis of the site and express how the aims of creating density, connectivity and sense of place can be met.

The highest densities occupy the voids within the highway loops and a raised public plaza provides an urban centre. Connecting pathways stretch out from this space, drawing together flows of people from the surrounding area.

Flow Studies

The next progression accentuates the fluidity of the diagram, allowing it to express a system of complex interactions between people.

The pathways are divided and exaggerated linearly. As each element converges and rises, horizontal merges into vertical and the elements decrease in diameter, the masses becoming more transparent and outward-looking.

These studies aim to convey both the analysis and the characteristics of the site itself. It is hoped that they could inform any future development on the site.