The winners of theAIA New York‘s biennial design competition have been been announced. The Emerging New York Architects (ENYA) committee selected from 120 proposals submitted as a part ofQueensWay Connection: Elevating the Public Realm, which was intended to drum up ideas that would contribute to theproposed re-purposing of an elevated railway in Queens. Entrants were tasked with designing a vertical gateway for the elevated viaduct portion of the 3.5 mile–long track currently under consideration for theHigh Linetreatment.
Carrie Wibert’s winning proposal, The Queensway Steps. (Courtesy Carrie Wibert/ENYA)
A jury consisting of Claire Weisz ofWXY Architecture + Urban Design, Matthew Johnson ofDiller Scofidio + Renfroand project manager of the High Line, andMargaret Newmanfrom the New York Department of Transportation among others convened on January 18th to anointCarrie Wibertthe winner and recipient of the $5000 ENYA prize. Nikolay Martynov’s Queens Bilboard finished second, followed by Song Deng’s Make It! Grow It! Jessica Shomekaer won the Student Prize while Queens local Hyontek Yoon received honorable mention for Upside Down Bridge.
Make It! Grow It! (Courtesy Song Deng/ENYA)These proposals, along with others submitted to the competition will go on display July 17th in an exhibition at theCenter for Architecturethat will be supplemented by a series of discussion panels. The exhibit should come on the heels of the completion of the ongoing feasibility study undertaken by WXY anddlandstudio Landscape Architecture & Architecture. The project is not withoutits detractors, with some locals clamoring for the re-activation of the track for rail transportation as a means of alleviating congestion in the borough.Advocates of the Queenswayquestion the feasibility of such a move and also claim that the park would link communities, improve quality of life, and enable safer bike and foot traffic.
