Queens Plaza
Long Island City, New York

The current plaza design concept modifies plaza space by adding a topography of lightweight soils to create a crescent shaped slope with a soft edge at the northern half of the plaza. Together with an orchard-like grove, these slight interventions help to create sheltered areas for people to gather while reducing noise, air, and visual pollution from the lanes of traffic and the elevated line. The intersection of new bike lanes and increased pedestrian movement will add to the intensity of this kinetic site. As the central rainwater harvesting area of the Blue Thread concept, the Plaza acts a water collector and a historical reference to Burger's Sluice, a Dutch Kills tidal mill dating back to the 1640's that existed adjacent the site.

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The concept includes vertical elements that will act as environmental sensors expressing the actions of wind, water and sun on the site.

The concept includes a marker or icon that will be visible from afar.

Art installations will enliven the pedestrian viaduct linking Queens Plaza with the institutional and industrial corridor to the east.

The original mill stones (currently on-site embedded in a sidewalk) will be integrated into the plaza concept within the water harvesting center.

Graphics will provide signage as well as help orient people.

Visual access through the site is important; it will be balanced with new layers of planting, graphics and topography.