Jacob Javits Plaza

26, Federal Plaza, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States

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Jacob Javits Plaza

26, Federal Plaza, Manhattan, New York, NY, United States

Firm

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates

Type

Government + Health ›
Landscape + Planning › Public Park

YEAR

2013

The US GSA hired WASA/Studio A in collaboration with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, landscape architects, to redesign the plaza facing Foley Square at the east side of the 26 Federal Plaza FOB. Framed to the north by the Court of International Trade, this civic space had leaked into the underground parking garage for decades.Gestural, sweeping landforms fold over the plinth of the Federal Office Building and link the project to its urban context. A grand, granite stair emerges from the rolling landforms to create an amenity that invites the public into the plan. The material selection and pavement pattern, in concert with a range of landscape spaces, facilitate the transition from the enormity of the Federal Office Building to the intimate scale of the plan’s internal gardens. The plan spaces are enlivened through the interplay of four seating options: wide marble benches, in both rectangles and circles, reference the scale of the surrounding architecture and provide generous and flexible seating; crescent marble benches follow the edge of planted areas to create intimate spaces; and black granite benches, nestled between the columns of the Federal Building, negate the need for temporary barriers. A close study of microclimaric conditions and user comfort informs decisions of layout, material and planting. The landforms and trees on the northern portion of the site block winter winds along Worth Street; shade provided by vegetation will be a valued amenity during the summer months when the plaza is in full sun for many hours of the day. To compensate for the shade of winter, a targeted Heliostat directs sunlight to six different locations on the plaza over the course of a day. Additionally, reflectors play a role at night when “moonlight” floods the site.