An ambitious project has been set to completely redesign the High Line, the long railway line that for 1,45 miles crosses the west side of Manhattan, at the same time giving it new life. Built in the thirties and in disuse since the eighties, the High Line is to become a raised pedestrian walkway and huge open public space.
The seven finalists include some of the most important international architects: Diller+Scofidio+Renfro; Zaha Hadid; Steven Holl; Latz (with The Saratoga Associates); Rogers Marvel (with Gustafson Guthrie Nichol); OpenMeshWork.ORG (OpenOffice with Mesh Architectures and Work Architecture); and TerraGRAM Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates (with D.I.R.T. Studio e Beyer Blinder Belle).
The project, one of the most important for the Bloomberg administration, will cost 35 million dollars and should improve the areas of West Chelsea and Hudson Yards. Timing? By the summer the three finalists will be named and work should begin on site by the end of next year. E.S.
