Located below the elevated west side highway, the site for this cafe posed some significant challenges. The footprint of the cafe had to be within the length of the 2 highway pillars. Its breadth is limited by the existing arching hardscape of the pier in front and cannot extend beyond the rear face of the highway pillars where the bike lane runs. The yellow facade fronting the cafe serves to both screen off the evening sun and as a billboard for the cafe. As it is on public land, this small project was under the purview of the NYC Parks and Recreation Department and had to undergo public hearing with the community board as well as the Design Commission. Additional review with the NYC Department of Transportation was required.
project involvement:
• schematic design • design development • construction documentation • project management • project administration & coordination • furniture, finishes, equipment specification
project budget:
n.a.
project square footage:
1,000 sf