Open Design Competition: NYC Aquarium & Public Waterfront

New York City has seen rapid redevelopment that has capitalized on previously undesirable locations. Sitting at the top of these locations are the sites that have access to waterfront. Most of the ventures in these areas are private economic interests that only address public value when there is a direct return on profit. If not taken into consideration many of these waterfronts will be absorbed and, with the constant return of people to the urban core, there lies a need to create public and cultural infrastructure. In a city that is filled with numerous icons, parks, theaters, and museums an aquarium is one of the few remaining public typologies that doesn't exist within the immediate area.

On a site that borders the East River and the Eleventh Street Basin in New York City, arch out loud proposes the implementation of a public aquarium and park to provide communal space for the surrounding city, a program that provides valuable waterfront space to residents and tourists alike. arch out loud challenges designers to experiment with conventional interpretations of this program and investigate how it can create a more appropriated relationship to its context.

http://www.archoutloud.com/competitions.html