GOVERNORS ISLAND

Concept | 2006

The exciting possibilities for Governors Island present an historic opportunity to bring the Island to new life, and to influence the future identity of New York City. Its proximity to New York City will guarantee this development to get national and international attention, elevating the forgotten Island to a prime destination point, much like Central Park.

The Biomes Park takes an existing historic site and implements contemporary ideas to create a place that represents the future of New York City; a future that is self-sustaining and combines technology and nature to create an active setting that is conscious of our environment and beckons tourists and residents alike. The tower will accommodate the necessary development floor area, while maintaining a maximum of green park area.

The Biomes Park will be the largest and most developed indoor and outdoor park in the world, offering two contrasting biomes, with all the tourist amenities, within seven minutes of the world’s greatest City, New York.

Some people call New York a concrete jungle, where the diversity of people, the constant flow of energy, and the variety of places compose an intricate network of life. Here in the Rainforest on Governors Island, people can experience another kind of jungle, one of tropical delight.  Here visitors will be enclosed in a temple of forest trees, draped with vines and exploding with tropical flowers.  As you move from the smell of fertile soil on the ground through the warmth of moist air to the canopy walkways, you will learn about this incredible landscape. The layers of the Rainforest each respond to different light conditions, from the darkness on the forest floor, to the dappled sunlight through the middle section, up to the bright and airy tops of the forest.  The design will be used to amplify these conditions and make them accessible to the public.

New York City, which hosts a major tourist culture, is the ideal setting for a project of this scale. The site is remote in its atmosphere yet close in proximity. The Biomes Park is a contrast to the City, which makes it attractive to both tourists and the vastly diverse local communities. The Biomes Park creates a dichotomy with the City that is completely unique from any other type of tourist attraction in the world.