Architecture Competition: Liberty Today – Reclaiming an Urban Void

Architecture Competition: Liberty Today – Reclaiming an Urban Void

PREMISE
Statue of Liberty with its changing timely definition has always been a universal symbol of freedom, patriotism and liberty. A gift by France to the USA in 1889, it embodied hope and opportunity in the era the country had entered into.

The terminal along with nearby Ellis Island and Liberty Park constitutes the Historic Trilogy. It holds great national value besides being a cultural and historic melting point. Despite the universality of its image, what the place represents is open to interpretation. In the broadest sense – it was a gateway to America. The first welcoming sight for immigrants. It also was a symbol of liberation for slaves during the late 1800s. During the 2001 Terrorist attack, it became a symbol of strength. It’s meaning changes with time and through many cultural barriers.

SITE
Central Railroad of New Jersey Terminal is part of the Liberty State Park. While the historic terminal has been converted into a museum, the railway shed remains a desolate space. It sits as a broken link in the chain that connects all these growing cultural areas. Vacant since the train traffic at the terminal ceased in 1964, the old departure boards and columns still loom. Prohibited for public access, the shed today presents only a shadow of its former use.

CHALLENGE
Challenge is to rethink a disused 4000 sqm railway shed into space for culture, art and public relationships. Design that retrieves collective memories and also responds to the contemporary idea of what space stands for. It can be a memorial, a relic, an interpretation, an urban park – any idea that infuses new meaning of liberty in the existent urban void?

Judges:
To be announced.