Massive New Storm-Protection Barrier Funded for Lower Manhattan

Starr Whitehouse and the BIG team’s proposal was selected a winner of HUD’s Rebuild By Design competition. The team’s winning entry, dubbed “The Big U,” was awarded $335 million for the implementation of a series of berms to protect the Lower East Side while enhancing the physical, social, and economic resiliency of East River Park and the surrounding neighborhood in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

Partner Stephen Whitehouse was part of an international panel of urban planners hosted by the Urban Land Institute in Charlotte, NC. The panel examined Charlotte’s under-developed North End and how the area can capitalize on region’s unprecedented and sustained economic growth.

Starr Whitehouse and the BIG team unveil their proposal, The BIG U, to the Rebuild By Design Jury. The BIG U explores ways of protecting the lower half of Manhattan, from West 54^th Street south to The Battery and north to East 40th Street, from future super storms and climate disasters. The team’s plan, investigates a series of vertical barriers for flood protection that integrate social infrastructure and speak to the shifting cultural milieux of upland neighborhoods.

The Bronx River House will be the new headquarters for the Bronx River Alliance, a completely environmentally friendly building. Starr Whitehouse designed a lush landscape to complement the sustainability of the buildings designed by Kiss + Cathcart Architects. This building and headquarters will “afford more recreational and educational use of the once neglected natural resource, the city’s only freshwater river.” Completed in late 2016, the Bronx River House will become a great amenity for the community.

Starr Whitehouse presented four design options for a new park in southwest Hoboken. Following the presentation, the designs were posted online along with a survey to solicit community feedback. Starr Whitehouse will analyze the public’s response and fold their considerations into the final design.

The Hudson Reporter details the second public meeting for a new park in southwest Hoboken. At the meeting, Starr Whitehouse unveiled four potential concepts and renderings for the park: a market square, an urban woodland, a neighborhood park, and an active play space. Attendees had the opportunity to provide feedback on each proposal which Starr Whitehouse will use to develop a final concept design for the park.

Starr Whitehouse has been conducting extensive economic research in Gowanus, as a part of a Brownfield Opportunity Area Study. Stephen Whitehouse says “what we found is that there’s a lot more economic activity in the Gowanus area than is generally reported – there’s a very diverse set of economies there… There’s a lot happening. It just doesn’t generate activity on the street.”

This Department of Parks and Recreation press release highlights the design features of Bushwick Inlet Park, designed by Starr Whitehouse and Kiss + Cathcart.

Starr Whitehouse is taking a lead role in developing Community Rebuilding and Resiliency Plans after Hurricane Sandy. Partner Laura Starr is quoted saying, “When we were developing ideas for the waterfront, we ultimately wanted to create landscape for all aspects of the community. It is completely feasible for a waterfront landscape to perform in many different ways, such as for habitat, for recreational space, as an economic generator, and of course, for protection.”

The Architects Newspaper profiles Starr Whitehouse’s work on a new signature residential building designed by Bjarke Ingels Group. The landscape design calls for a central courtyard reminiscent of Central Park where people can sunbathe, barbeque and play.