The design turns this ‘reduction’ into an exploration and demonstration of energy efficient, ‘atomized’ services in the massing, cladding and fabrication strategies. These design innovations include integrating architecture and advanced engineering to minimize structural steel, use of an innovative and lightweight triangulated column structure, and a fully tensile, structural lenticular roof canopy system with integrated soft day lighting wells, LED lighting and environmental sensing system. The design takes a non-nostalgic attitude toward the NYC Riverfront.

Pier 34 is re-designed and expanded to provide passengers with ticketing and waiting facilities for two ferry berths. The surfaces of the architecture support an innovative distributed network of services, scaled to the passenger and integrated in undulating perforated wall screens, benches and public furniture elements. The 34th Street Ferry Terminal creates a public architecture which integrates the physical experiences of the river front with the expanded virtual experiences of the working commute: GPS, cell phone and Internet access.

Large lighting wells (oculi) in the translucent tensile membrane roof provide natural daylight. The play of light from the water is reflected along undulating walls of perforated aluminum. At night, the light wells use solid state lighting to illuminate the translucent canopy and register the flows of people on the pier and the tidal flows that move under the surface of the East River.