Sunset Park Under/Overpass
Brooklyn, NYC / 2009
with Travis Bunt, Seohong Min, Aren Bogossian, and Pedro Borges
The ground condition in Sunset Park is defined by the interaction between the industrial fabric and the functionally and culturally isolated worker class. This project scales up from those individuals through the complex layers of garment manufacturing to the intricate network of the fashion industry—rewiring that system at a variety of scales.
The physical demarcation of the site is anchored in the post-industrial artifact, with the ultimate goal of reactivating these remnants in the service of a new economic hub.
The industrial spines and shells of Sunset Park offer a means by which to thread into the fabric of the community—the elevated Gowanus Expressway as threshold; the warehouses as identifiable knots within a fabric. Physical interventions along and under the expressway structure are inserted to create flexible, functional spaces to be used in both short-term [coordinated events; awareness campaigns] and semi-permanent [worker support and education spaces] capacities. Adjacent underutilized warehouses will be reprogrammed into a network of business incubators and industry training spaces, following [and expanding upon] the model offered by Manhattan’s Garment Industry Development Corporation.
These steps would introduce an integrated system of educational, developmental, and supportive spaces into Sunset Park, ultimately empowering its working population and the community as a whole.
Urban Study Model: Engaging the BQE
Demographic Map
Urban Artifact Map
Under/Overpass Axonometric + Details
Final Proposal Scenario