Bjarke Ingels, in conjunction with Rebuild by Design, has laid out plans for ‘The Dryline’ – a leisure-oriented storm barrier for New York City.

Following the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, where more than US$19bn (€17.9bn, £12.6bn) of damage was inflicted on New York, Rebuild by Design – a federally-funded initiative, which is part of the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) – has attempted to address the structural and environmental weaknesses that the storm revealed.

The Dryline,previously known as Big-U has been envisaged as a continuous 10 mile (16km) stretch, acting as a protective system around Manhattan, from West 54th Street South to The Battery and up to East 40th Street.

BIG are not the only architecture firm behind the scheme. Other partners working on the project are; One Architecture, Starr Whitehouse, James Lima Planning + Development, Level Infrastructure, Burohappold, Arcadis, Green Shield Ecology, Aea Consulting, Project Projects and the School Of Constructed Environments At Parsons.

Although designed primarily to be a defensive structure for the city, Ingels and his firm intend to build leisure into every aspect of the design and with the success of New York’s Highline, the concept looks promising.

If BIG’s design is approved, leisure elements will include active learning spaces, community and cultural space, raised cycle paths, parks, increased public green space, several plazas, harbour bath swimming and a reverse aquarium. The main defensive element will be a protective wall - constructed from flip down panels - that would deploy automatically in the event of a storm warning, also allowing a dual function as a public art space.

The Dryline would be constructed in different sections or zones, each would add up to enhance and protect the city, as well as being able to stand on their own. Each zone has been imagined in close conjunction with the communities who would use it, as well as stakeholders.

Despite the magnitude of the Dryline plans and the obvious success of the Highline, there are still worries about how the project will be funded. The first phase of the project will be publicly funded, and BIG hopes the bar will be set high enough that the funding will continue.

Fundamentally, if the entire project is constructed it could potentially offer flood protection and social interaction for 500,000 residents along a key ten mile stretch.


The Dryline - BIG Teams Vision for Rebuild by Design from BIG on Vimeo.