Courtesy DLandStudio
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Sponge Park aims to turn a polluted waterway in Brooklyn, N.Y., into a local attraction that helps mitigate contaminated runoff from combined sewer overflows. A 7.9-acre esplanade and open space is combined with 3.5 acres of remediation wetland basins and a water-management system.
Jury: “This project addresses a common problem in older cities with a striking way to create valuable urban open spaces as a byproduct.”
Client: “One of the greatest challenges presented to Dlandstudio for the Sponge Park project lies in coordinating between so many governmental and nonprofit partners … [as well as] requirements related to scientific rigor and quality control that apply to any project using federal money. There is also a general stigma of the Gowanus being somewhat beyond redemption. Dlandstudio did a very smart thing by partnering with a neighborhood group at the get-go and being level-headed and patient with project partners.” —Clair Ryan, environmental analyst, New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission
2011 Institute Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design
Jury
Daniel Williams, FAIA, (chair), Daniel Williams Architect
C.R. George Dove, FAIA, WDG Architecture
Vivien Li, Boston Harbor Association
Claire Weisz, AIA, WXY Architecture + Urban Design
Bernard Zyscovich, FAIA, Zyscovich Architects
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