concept & vision
The conversion of Pier 57, designed by LOT-EK, transforms the utilitarian industrial building into an open and public structure that weaves, within its four-level existing framework, the outdoor environment of the Hudson River Park with cultural and leisure indoor activities. The project reimagines the pier as an accessible and continuous urban experience, reconnecting the waterfront to the city while preserving its industrial identity.
design & architecture
The design retains the existing interior ramp connecting ground and second floor and continues it from the second floor to the roof as an open public street. This diagonal trajectory takes visitors through the building directly from the main entrance along the Hudson River Park promenade, as an inclined extension of 15th Street - a covered street that traverses the entire structure, flanked by activity, open to city and sky views, and bathed in natural light.
The interior architecture of the market is articulated through the reuse of shipping containers, both as a sustainable strategy and as a reference to the pier’s shipping history and former port function.
program & use
The program is centered around food, with open markets, restaurants, and retail distributed across the ground and second levels. Additional cultural and leisure activities are integrated throughout the structure, creating a dynamic mix of uses. Along the exterior esplanade, a marina with cafés extends the public experience to the water’s edge.
At the roof level, the project introduces a public park, conceived as an integral part of the Hudson River Park, offering new spaces for gathering, leisure, and events.
impact & significance
At the roof level, the motif of the ramp continues to form an open amphitheater within the elevated park. The amphitheater acts as a cover for the ramp below, a solarium and social space during the day, and an event infrastructure at night, hosting outdoor screenings and performances for the Tribeca Film Festival.
By transforming an obsolete industrial structure into a layered public destination, Pier 57 demonstrates how adaptive reuse can generate new forms of urban life, combining infrastructure, landscape, and culture into a cohesive civic experience.
