02 Studio Chermayeff & Hönig
NEWTOWN Creek Art Storage
Studio Masters: Sam Chermayeff & Tobias Hönig
The latest since Corbusier’s Villa La Roche we know that art-storage does not necessarily have to look and function like a warehouse. A good example for this in a larger
scale is Herzog De Meuron’s Schaulager nearby Basel. Especially in huge Metropolises such as New York the question for storage that provides space as well as security, easy logistics as well as accessibility to a public/semi-public audience, becomes
more and more interesting for institutions, collections and auction houses.
S
On a former waterfront cement factory site between Queens and Brooklyn we ask
for your proposal for a depository warehouse offering the possibility of managing
and storing art collections and other valuables. The site is an impressive 800 plus
feet along Newtown Creek with an average depth of more than 70 feet, making
every part of the site closely related to the waterfront. Bound by the creek and an
underutilized railway the atmosphere is one of serenity despite its close proximity
to Manhattan, the bustling high rise district of Long Island City and the growing
Greenpoint, Brooklyn neighborhood. The land is around 5.800 square meters with
an FAR of two and a buildable area of 11.600 square meters. The project should offer
a variety of possibilities, include high-tech art storage facilities offering safe and new
ways of expanding collections, meeting rooms and exhibition space.
1st year studios | summer semester 2015