Rogers Marvel Architects
Rogers Marvel Queens Plaza Ideas Competition
QUEENS PLAZA Ideas Competition
New York, NY
Queens Plaza is dominated by layers of transportation systems that fragment and divide the space into a series of traffic islands. There is hardly any unoccupied ground on which to intervene. In response to this spatial overloading, RMA's proposal looks directly at the three dimensional volume of the plaza-the residual void between buildings and infrastructure-to identify areas which remain open to other uses. Within this volume, the dynamic interweaving of movement and structure is revealed. Starting from a figural inversion of the residual space, cross sections of the volume are built as solid bands of program. The solid bands provide an opportunity to occupy the vertical space around the infrastructure. At the ground level, the bands provide a frame for the experience of the plaza. Seeking to balance the city-wide infrastructure that dominates the site, the three interventions are characterized by community activities: Library, Winter Garden, and Gym. Situated at the intersection between local and metropolitan systems, the sections are set across the grain of movement and support the static occupation of the site.