JACK IN A BOX

 

Hosting a FIFA World Cup event in McCarren Park demands illuminated temporal planning focused both on the moment in time when the event will take place and on its mark on the future of the area.
A true transformative strategy has to consider the occasion of the event also as a way to experiment with the coexistence of different functions in the same place in order to allow a fluid transition to future scenarios.
In counter-tendency with bowl structures the Stadium in McCarren Park will feature a breakneck slope to fit just the southern part of the park: the image of the stadium as a vertical mark in the park is meant to enhance its symbolic purpose for the period of the sports event and beyond.
Modular steel structures will host the rest of the needed bleachers: the absence of vertical opaque elements puts them in a natural contrast with the mixed residential building on the western side of the field.
After the event up to 85% of the decks are planned to be removed: where the soccer field is planned a linear urban park will physically connect the vertical building to the pool over Lorimer St.
This stadium will be a manifesto of an ephemeral approach that such an event can have on the environment, not only in terms of built volume but also of public space, a valuable resource in big cities such as New York.

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with Giovanni Glorialanza architetto