Geek out on detailing at Little Island

We recently had the opportunity to spend some time in New York and in particular we were able to take a look at some of the great public realm projects being completed in the city. The regeneration of the piers along the Hudson River and down to Battery Park shows what can be done to regenerate and bring life back to older and tired facilities. The waterfront boardwalk and piers were clean, well maintained and pleasant to use as evidenced by the numbers of people walking, running, cycling and dog-walking along the promenades.

Dedicated (and traffic-segregated) bike lanes, and promenade along the Hudson

Similar projects are being undertaken in Hong Kong and we must both hope and strive for similar levels of quality in design and delivery. We certainly have the demand for and usage of such spaces from Hongkongers and visitors on both sides of the harbour.

So whilst we continue to improve our public realm spaces in Hong Kong and particularly along our fabulous harbour, we would urge everyone to check out NYC’s Little Island. This privately-funded project opened in 2021 replacing one of the old Hudson River piers. What struck home was the incredible attention to detail in design and execution, possibly the best urban landscape construction we have seen.

We geeked out completely on joint alignment, junction detailing, material selection, formwork quality, trade coordination etc. We could go on, but it is a fantastic example of many of the principles we have been promoting and discussing recently - take the time to plan the works properly, think through the conditions and details that will exist, and get the design right before starting work. As said for many years - measure twice, cut once!

If you have the chance to visit, we cannot recommend it highly enough.