For immediate release:
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Contact:
Elizabeth Berberich: 212.440.2205
eberberich@empire.state.ny.us

Annie Kurtin: 212.358.6126
akurtin@aiany.org


“THE PARK AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD: FIVE VISIONS FOR GOVERNORS ISLAND” PRESENTS BOLD IDEAS FOR A NEW PARK AND PROMENADE AT THE CENTER OF NEW YORK HARBOR

American Institute of Architects New York Chapter and the Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation announce exhibition featuring five landscape architecture and architecture teams competing to design compelling new open spaces for Governors Island

The American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY) and the Governors Island Preservation & Education Corporation (GIPEC) today announced a new exhibition featuring five visions for Governors Island’s park and open spaces.

The five teams presenting designs at this exhibition have received critical acclaim for their buildings and landscapes around the world. They were chosen from a field of 29 teams representing 10 countries and 65 firms and they will compete to create a new park on Governors Island. The competing teams are:

• Field Operations with Wilkinson/Eyre Architects
• Hargreaves Associates/Michael Maltzan Architecture
• REX/MDP
• West 8/Rogers Marvel/Diller Scofidio+ Renfro/Quennell Rothschild/SMWM
• WRT + Urban Strategies

The exhibition will open on May 31st at the AIA New York Chapter’s Center for Architecture in Greenwich Village, and on June 2nd on Governors Island. The designs illustrate concepts for a two mile Great Promenade providing breath-taking views of Lower Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New York Harbor; a new “Summer Park” at the southern end of the Island; and restoration of the mature landscapes of the Historic District.

“We have a unique opportunity to create something special on Governors Island: a destination that preserves the island’s natural beauty and our country’s history; creates a public park that is a magnet for New Yorkers and visitors; and innovatively develops the remaining portions to support the island’s activities without burdening the taxpayer. We hope this landscape design competition will help jump-start those plans.”
“Governors Island can become the center of New York City’s Harbor District through the creation of world-class open spaces and parks,” said Dan Doctoroff, the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development. “The designs presented at this exhibit provide the vision for achieving this opportunity.”

The competition process explores design approaches and preliminary ideas. Responses to the design brief will form the basis for the selection of the design team.

A jury of distinguished design professionals, government officials and citizens will convene this summer to review the design team’s submissions, and will consider the proposals along with public comments. The jury members are:

Carol Ash, Commissioner, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Adrian Benepe, Commissioner, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation
Karen Brooks Hopkins, President, Brooklyn Academy of Music
Leslie Koch, President, Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation
Reed Kroloff, Director-Designate, Cranbrook Academy of Art and Art Museum
Lauie Olin, Principal, Olin Partnership
Gregg Pasquarelli, Founder and Principal, SHoP Architects PC
Joseph Rose, Partner, the Georgetown Company

The Jury will recommend a winning team or teams, rather than a winning or final design. GIPEC will work with the selected team(s) to develop promising concepts for park and open space, with a process of extensive public input.

“We are excited about creating a 21st century park and open spaces on Governors Island to serve all our visitors, and this exhibition illustrates what those areas can be,” said Leslie Koch, President of the Governors Island Preservation & Education Corporation. “We hope that all New Yorkers will come to the exhibition and provide feedback about the designs and the competition.”

“The AIA New York Chapter is delighted to welcome design professionals and the public to the Governors Island exhibition at the Center for Architecture,” said Rick Bell, FAIA Executive Director of the AIA New York Chapter. “The five designs represent grand visions for making this wonderful and wild island a living part of New York City’s landscape.”

"We hope that this is only the beginning of a process of revitalization for what can be a wonderful resource to the public,” said Joan Blumenfeld, FAIA, IIDA President of the AIA New York Chapter. “The creation of a unique waterfront park can mark the beginning of the development process for a Governor's Island that will be a destination both for tourists and for native New Yorkers."

Public input on the team’s designs will be critical to the competition and can be given in a variety of ways. Public comments will be received as follows:

• At the two locations that the designs are exhibited – at the Center for Architecture in Manhattan, and on Governors Island
• Through Governors Island’s website, www.govisland.com
• GIPEC will hold a public forum at 6:30 PM on June 20th at Reeves Great Hall at FIT (28th Street and 7th Avenue) where the design teams will present their concepts and receive feedback from the public

The AIA will also host several programs and events at the Center for Architecture to celebrate the exhibition. These include:

• Monday, June 11th, 6 PM – 8 PM: Panel discussion with the AIA, American Society of Landscape Architects New York Chapter, Governors Island Alliance, and GIPEC. Sponsored by the American Society of Landscape Architects.
• Saturday, August 11th, 9:45 AM -11:45 AM: FamilyDay @ theCenter, Governors Island Walking Tour and Scavenger Hunt

Additionally, the Van Alen Institute will hold an Open House and Conversation on the competition:

• Wednesday, June 13th, 6 PM – 8 PM: “Designing Governors Island,” The Van Alen Institute, 30 West 22nd Street, 6th Floor. As the future of Governors Island takes shape this spring and five internationally-renowned design teams present schemes for the site’s redesign, Van Alen Institute joins GIPEC and its partner organizations in celebrating the recent history of Governors Island, its relationship to the New York Harbor, and the role of design competitions in defining and developing public sites in New York City.

“The Park at the Center of the World: Five Visions for Governors Island” will be on view through August 25th at the Center for Architecture and through September 2nd on Governors Island.

Governors Island is open for visitors every Saturday and Sunday from June 2nd – September 2nd. For a ferry schedule and more information on events, visit www.govisland.com.

More information on the five teams is below:

Field Operations/Wilkinson Eyre
Great Eastern Ecology
Piet Oudolf
Luz Landschaftsarchitekten Munchen
McLaren Engineering Group
Tillotson Design Associates
WET Design
Cultural Resource Consultant Group
Project Projects

Hargreaves Associates/Michael Maltzan Architecture
L’Observatoire International
Buro Happold
Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers
Atelier Ten
Sam Schwartz PLLC
Langan Engineering and Environmental Sciences
Pentagram
Sustainable Science
Gail Wittwer-Laird
Dan Euser Water Architecture
Cultural Resource Consultant Group
V. J. Associates Inc.
Aggleton + Associates
Milrose Consultants
Northern Designs
Maps, Inc.

REX/MDP
Archipelago
The Rose + Guggenheimer Studio
Arup
Transsolar
Atelier Ten
Dorsserblesgraaf (DHV BV)
Dewberry-Goodkind, Inc.
Lord Cultural Resources
Environmental Design
Tillotson Design Associates
Sagmeister Inc.
AccuCost
Mercator Land Surveying, LLC
Fleming Lee Shue
Sam Schwartz Engineering
Northern Designs LLC
McLaren Engineering Group

West 8/Rogers Marvel Architects/Diller Scofidio + Renfro/Quennell Rothschild & Partners/SMWM
Arup
HPA Engineers, P.C.
Collado Engineering
Yu & Associates
B. Thayer Associates
Jane Chermayeff Associates
Pentagram
Craig Whitaker Architects
Leni Schwendinger Light Projects LTD
Design 2147, Ltd.
Ducibella Venter & Santore
Faithful + Gould
Jan Hird Pokorny Associates
Construction Specifications

WRT + Urban Strategies
Ocean and Coastal Consultants
Biohabitats
Langan Engineering and Environmental Services
Tillett Lighting Design Inc.
Weidlinger Associates Inc.
Pentagram
Cultural Resource Consulting Group
Battle McCarthy Consulting Engineers
Jaros Baum & Bolles
Shen, Milsom & Wilke, Inc.
WET Design
Karen Bacon Events, Inc.
V. J. Associates Inc.
Creative Time
Mercator

About the AIA New York Chapter
The New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, founded in New York City in 1857, is dedicated to three goals: public outreach--engaging and interacting with the public about architecture and the built environment; professional development--helping architects to be the best at what they do; and design excellence--improving the quality of design and advocating environmental conservation and sustainability.

The AIA’s Center for Architecture
The Center for Architecture is New York City’s storefront resource center for exhibitions, discussion and professional exchange on architecture and design. The Center is also home to the New York Chapter of Architecture for Humanity (AfH), the New York Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), Illuminating Engineering Society New York Section (ESNY), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). Located at 536 LaGuardia Place, the Center is open 9 am to 8 pm, Monday – Friday, and 11 am to 5 pm on Saturdays. Admission is free. For information contact the AIA New York Chapter at 212-683-0023 or info@aiany.org. (www.aiany.org)

About Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC)
The Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation is responsible for the planning, redevelopment and ongoing operations for 150 acres of Governors Island. The National Park Service administers the additional 22 acres of the island designated in 2003 as the Governors Island National Monument. A subsidiary of the Empire State Development Corporation, GIPEC is overseen by a Board of Directors appointed equally by the Governor and Mayor of New York. GIPEC is working closely with the National Park Service and a wide array of constituent groups, including business, community and civic groups, to foster new ideas for development of Governors Island and to enhance the island’s role as a vital and integral part of New York City and the surrounding region. GIPEC seeks to make Governors Island a destination with great public open space and heritage tourism attractions, as well as education, conference and cultural arts facilities. For more information please visit www.govisland.com or call 212.440.2202.