SHoP’s
design for the new Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport re-imagines the mall to
create a mix of boutique and large restaurant and retail spaces. The new design
echoes the typical New York streetscape, with smaller individual structures
housing shops and restaurants, separated by open-air pedestrian thoroughfares.
Two large floors stretch out above the small shops as a roof, each measuring
60,000 sq. ft. Enormous glass garage-style doors descend in bad weather to seal
in the lower levels of the complex, offering protection from the elements but
still opening up previously blocked views of the Brooklyn Bridge. The new Pier
17 will completely transform the existing building into a vibrant destination
which builds on Lower Manhattan’s commercial resurgence, continued residential
growth, and evolution into a 24/7 live/work/play community.