Section 2 of the High Line Flies Over and Cuts Through Manhattan’s West Side with Sophisticated Engineering by Buro Happold
Buro Happold provided structural and MEP engineering for Section 2’s daring structural interventions – the Flyover and Cutout.
New York, NY, June 10, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Buro Happold provided sophisticated structural and MEP engineering for Section 2 of the High Line, which spans from West 20th Street to West 30th Street on Manhattan’s west side. It opens to the public today with two new structural interventions – the Flyover and Cutout.
The Flyover is an elevated steel walkway that floats eight feet above the High Line, and spans from 24th through 27th Streets. This “bridge on a bridge” is an 8-ft. wide steel framed system that raises visitors up into the trees. Buro Happold used a sophisticated system of slender columns to attach the walkway to the top of the existing railway. The delicate structure counterbalances the robust steel High Line and achieves the designers’ vision for an elevated walkway with a thin profile.
The Cutout is a literal “cutout” of the High Line at 30th Street, and the only part of the structure that breaks the continuous pedestrian path. Buro Happold connected this angled grated structure to the existing High Line with minimal cantilevered connections. Visitors can stand on this platform and look through the steel framing of the original rail structure straight down to the street.
“While Section 1 of the High Line posed significant engineering challenges, it in no way compares to the structural complexity of Section 2,” said Craig Schwitter, PE, Regional Director, Buro Happold. “We used creative engineering solutions to build over and cut through the existing structure, while making our interventions as invisible and seamless as possible.”
Design Team
Design Leads: James Corner Field Operations, with Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Structural/MEP Engineering: Buro Happold
Structural Engineering/Historic Preservation: Robert Silman Associates
Environmental Engineering: GRB Services, Inc.
Civil and Traffic Engineering: Philip Habib & Associates
About the High Line
The High Line was originally constructed in the 1930s to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattan's streets. The High Line public park is owned by the City of New York and operated under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Friends of the High Line is the conservancy charged with raising private funds for the park and overseeing its maintenance and operations, pursuant to an agreement with the Parks Department. When all sections are complete, the High Line will be a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park, running through the West Side neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen. It features an integrated landscape designed by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro that combines meandering concrete pathways with diverse plantings.
About Buro Happold
Buro Happold is an independent international practice of consulting engineers. Since 1976 we have grown in size and reach to serve public and private clients across a full range of sectors through an international network of 29 offices; our five North American offices are based in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. We draw on the multi-disciplinary skills, knowledge and experience of our local experts to design and deliver award winning building, infrastructure and environmental projects that excel for clients, engage with communities and enrich the lives of users. Sustainability, innovation and holistic consulting are at the heart of everything we do and we are committed to touching the earth lightly. We think harder and are dedicated to addressing the big challenges that face the planet – climate change, population growth and scarcity of natural resources. Current and recent projects include the Grand Museum of Egypt (Cairo), the Louvre (Abu Dhabi), the Aviva Stadium (Dublin), the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, the King Abdullah Financial District (Riyadh), the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (Stratford) and the High Line (New York).
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The Flyover is an elevated steel walkway that floats eight feet above the High Line, and spans from 24th through 27th Streets. This “bridge on a bridge” is an 8-ft. wide steel framed system that raises visitors up into the trees. Buro Happold used a sophisticated system of slender columns to attach the walkway to the top of the existing railway. The delicate structure counterbalances the robust steel High Line and achieves the designers’ vision for an elevated walkway with a thin profile.
The Cutout is a literal “cutout” of the High Line at 30th Street, and the only part of the structure that breaks the continuous pedestrian path. Buro Happold connected this angled grated structure to the existing High Line with minimal cantilevered connections. Visitors can stand on this platform and look through the steel framing of the original rail structure straight down to the street.
“While Section 1 of the High Line posed significant engineering challenges, it in no way compares to the structural complexity of Section 2,” said Craig Schwitter, PE, Regional Director, Buro Happold. “We used creative engineering solutions to build over and cut through the existing structure, while making our interventions as invisible and seamless as possible.”
Design Team
Design Leads: James Corner Field Operations, with Diller Scofidio + Renfro
Structural/MEP Engineering: Buro Happold
Structural Engineering/Historic Preservation: Robert Silman Associates
Environmental Engineering: GRB Services, Inc.
Civil and Traffic Engineering: Philip Habib & Associates
About the High Line
The High Line was originally constructed in the 1930s to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattan's streets. The High Line public park is owned by the City of New York and operated under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Friends of the High Line is the conservancy charged with raising private funds for the park and overseeing its maintenance and operations, pursuant to an agreement with the Parks Department. When all sections are complete, the High Line will be a mile-and-a-half-long elevated park, running through the West Side neighborhoods of the Meatpacking District, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen. It features an integrated landscape designed by landscape architects James Corner Field Operations with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro that combines meandering concrete pathways with diverse plantings.
About Buro Happold
Buro Happold is an independent international practice of consulting engineers. Since 1976 we have grown in size and reach to serve public and private clients across a full range of sectors through an international network of 29 offices; our five North American offices are based in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. We draw on the multi-disciplinary skills, knowledge and experience of our local experts to design and deliver award winning building, infrastructure and environmental projects that excel for clients, engage with communities and enrich the lives of users. Sustainability, innovation and holistic consulting are at the heart of everything we do and we are committed to touching the earth lightly. We think harder and are dedicated to addressing the big challenges that face the planet – climate change, population growth and scarcity of natural resources. Current and recent projects include the Grand Museum of Egypt (Cairo), the Louvre (Abu Dhabi), the Aviva Stadium (Dublin), the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, the King Abdullah Financial District (Riyadh), the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (Stratford) and the High Line (New York).
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Contact
Hausman LLC
Tami Hausman
646-742-1700
www.burohappold.com
Tami Hausman
646-742-1700
www.burohappold.com
Contact
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