The spirit of Gaudí floats in New York

From the highest point of what some have called “the floating park”, “the great miracle” or “the enchanted oasis”, the Statue of Liberty resembles a figure in a souvenir shop.

A point in the vastness.

“For me, this place serves as a reflection of something that we often forget. Although we cross tunnels and bridges daily, it does not seem that we are aware that New York is an island, rather, an archipelago, and now we have added another one ”, Charlie replies 20 meters above the level of the Hudson River.

Little Island, the latest invention of this city, the fruit of the whim of tycoon Barry Diller to colonize the void, opened a week ago and Charlie is already on his third visit. “When it gets dark you feel literally on an island, you experience isolation, even from the West Side Highway, he adds.

This new ten-hectare playground with sculptural architectural design is located in western Manhattan. The streets 13 and 14 lead directly to the access walkways. It’s right at the beginning or end of another very New York mill, the elevated garden of the High Line, cultivated on an old railroad line.

This newly released monumental addition was unveiled in 2014. Its construction was marked by disputes in the courts in defense of flora and wildlife. The idea was conceived to replace the battered Pier 54, which began to crumble through oblivion and after being used for massive concerts.

The RMS Carpanthia, the ship from which the more than 700 survivors of the Titanic disembarked, docked at this dock on April 18, 1912.

The docks on the west side formed the busiest port in the United States, but after World War II the decline began. Commercial aviation made passenger lines obsolete, modern freighters did not fit, and industry fled the city.

In the abandonment, artists and especially homosexuals, repressed in the streets, found refuge in Pier 54 and others. Until the new real estate times led to the cleaning and gentrification of the neighborhood.

“The arches and pylons of the pier are still here and this is out of a desire to preserve history,” says Trish Santini, executive director of Little Island, sitting in the stands of the 687-seat amphitheater that includes this development. “While this is a 21st century experience, it was important for the design team and for Diller to keep the concept of where we came from,” he says.

The architectural project corresponds to the British Thomas Heatherwick. Its main hallmark are the 132 “tulips” with which the columns that support the sinuous platform are finished, on which 114 trees, 65 shrubs or hundreds of plants and lawns emerge.

“The concept behind this shape is a kind of flying carpet,” emphasizes Signe Nielsen, co-founder of the landscape architect firm that has made the green design.

Entrance through the tulip arch

“When you see it in children’s books, the carpet flies and ripples. That was the inspiration ”, he adds. “There were also technical reasons, which have to do with allowing sunlight to enter under the pier and also with the idea of ​​moving away from the urban terrain, as if the city is left behind and you experience a transition through the bridge before accessing the park, ”Nielsen specifies.

The entrance is through the large tulip arch. These pieces make up a network in which the foundations of the island and an aesthetic visual impact are combined. Each of the tulips consists of four to eight petals, and each petal is unique in shape, which “gives it the sculptural character,” says Santini.

Inside, as a distribution nucleus, the square is located. The route that leads to the highest point, in the direction of the river, allows halfway to enjoy a vision of the game of columns in the water. “I have gone from looking at this as a creepy pod, as if monsters were coming out of it during this pandemic time, to this exact moment when I see it as if life were exploding, as something transformational for New York,” says Carol, woman of a certain age and neighbor of the neighborhood.

Sitting next to him is Michaela, a photographer by profession. “With everything we have been through – he indicates in reference to the tragic balance of the covid in the Big Apple – we needed something that would positively feed our imagination,” he underlines.

Gaudinian lines

“I am fascinated by this architecture in which simple elements are put together in an innovative and creative way, concrete against water. And it is unique because this type of tulip is really different from the architecture of this city, something that you only experience when traveling to other countries ”, he continues. “I am taking photos and I think of Gaudí. It is like a reincarnation of your creativity. Inspiration is evident to me ”, he remarks.

Any connoisseur of Park Güell or from sacred Family you will experience that connection.

Once the legal issues were overcome, the construction of the enclosure took four years. Just making the lampshades took two years and the installation required another twelve months, Santini specifies.

And then, this is not a flat territory, it is not a park that is limited to planting vegetation.

One of the challenges Nielsen faced was getting enough soil on the concrete pad for the tallest trees to take root, without putting too much weight on it. They have been planted of 35 species, selected mainly of small leaves to resist the wind, and of different sizes, in order to establish several layers and not to have the impression that they have all been put at the same time.

In his landscape design, Nielsen links his work to Japanese gardens, made under the premise of walking and being within nature, with those stops for scenic enjoyment.

Of course, the maintenance issue is a recurring one. He says that Diller has offered to cover this expense for twenty years, when the facility is supposed to be sustainable. This brings his estimated gift to New York to $ 380 million in total, the largest private gift ever made to a city park.

Admission is free, although from noon it must be reserved on the web to avoid crowds, while there will be free and paid shows.

“It will always be an extraordinary structure,” Nielsen added, “which, despite looking scandalous at the time, will become part of our daily commute”.

An island with infinity views.

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