A Shanghai-based architecture firm has found a way to bring a public ball pit, a "hammock plaza," a carousel playground and a garden to Times Square — without doing away with swaths of pedestrian and vehicular space.
“Vertical Times,” a conceptual “mini tower” design created by 100architects, explores “the possibilities of inserting public functions and environments typically associated with urban parks within Times Square,” Architizer reported.
The imaginary park comprises six cylindrical glass platforms stacked vertically along a reinforced steel-and-concrete column.
Four public platforms would feature a carousel playground and ball pit for kids and a “sky garden” and “hammock plaza” for adults in need of rest and relaxation.
The public portion of the park would be financially supported by a restaurant and a “sky bar,” located on the tower’s top two tiers.
The platforms’ transparent walls would provide patrons 360-degree views of the Crossroads of the World.
“[Vertical Times] sets a different approach in the design of public space, no longer needing to be large horizontal extension of land, but rather a multi-layered metabolism with a softer impact on land consumption, and mimicking better with its urban surroundings, while establishing a highly recognizable landmark in the city,” 100architects wrote on its website.
The park “multiplies the intended space for public recreation in a vertical way,” while at the same time “minimizing the impact at the ground level,” the firm added.
