The red hook grain terminal as a public space : New York City and public space

Abstract

New York City, as the epitome of a metropolis, has been fascinating me ever since I can imagine. In my Bachelor thesis that looks at the depiction of New York in movies, I have increasingly become interested in the importance of public space in this city, in which private space is among the most expensive in the world. Not only does public space represent cities to visitors and is responsible for the city's image, it is also where inhabitants come to experience their own city. In this project I am attempting to combine two topics, which at first do not seem to make a good pair - an industrial complex with a public space. While a public space is essentially, as the name already suggests, a place open to the public, industrial complexes are usually off limits to anyone not working there. On top, the spatial identity of the two contradict one another as well. Openness and permeability dominate in public spaces, however, the industrial complex I have chosen, an abandoned grain silo, consists of a rigid grid of unconnected cylinders with no openings to the outside. By looking at successful examples and the development of public space in New York City, I will try to redesign the Red Hook Grain Terminal into a public space accommodating a library and a performance space. New York City, as the epitome of a metropolis, has been fascinating me ever since I can imagine. In my Bachelor thesis that looks at the depiction of New York in movies, I have increasingly become interested in the importance of public space in this city, in which private space is among the most expensive in the world. Not only does public space represent cities to visitors and is responsible for the city's image, it is also where inhabitants come to experience their own city. In this project I am attempting to combine two topics, which at first do not seem to make a good pair - an industrial complex with a public space. While a public space is essentially, as the name already suggests, a place open to the public, industrial complexes are usually off limits to anyone not working there. On top, the spatial identity of the two contradict one another as well. Openness and permeability dominate in public spaces, however, the industrial complex I have chosen, an abandoned grain silo, consists of a rigid grid of unconnected cylinders with no openings to the outside. By looking at successful examples and the development of public space in New York City, I will try to redesign the Red Hook Grain Terminal into a public space accommodating a library and a performance space.