nooyoon proposes upside down bridge connector for new york's queensway

the project ‘upside down bridge’ by hyuntek-yoon of american studio nooyoon proposes an overturned archway for the abandoned queensway railway in queens. creating a vague relationship between its surrounding horizontal and vertical conditions, the inverted structure connects the ground with the isolated space above. opening up the visual and physical corridors between two urban fabrics, the transformed typology provides a smooth transition from the street level to the railway.

all images courtesy of nooyoon

the intersection between the vertical and horizontal connection that nooyoon created is called ‘the plaza’ and it will be used as a versatile public space. seeking to accommodate many people and different programs, a kitchen is positioned on the hill, which offers an urban farming experience to the community with the area located below being used for indoor activities. the ‘upside-down bridge’ can be reproduced at several locations from the southern to the northern section of the railway to help activate local communities. 

render showing a concert at the plaza

the queensway once represented connection and productivity, but is now a hollow piece of urban infrastructure that functions as a void and wall boundary. new york has a good precedent of abandoned railway redevelopments such as the high line – the two are similar in their physical state, however the neighborhoods are quite different. the high line is located in one of the busiest and touristy areas in manhattan, while the queensway is situated in a local residential environment. this means that the design needs to blend in with existing local communities physically and programmatically, and provide a space to revitalize and invigorate the everyday life of its inhabitants.

the elevated bike lane

the integrated kitchen garden

view of the community center

diagram showing all the components

axonometric section

plans

concept diagrams

project info:

competition: the queensway connection: elevating the public realm competition
award: honorable mention
AIANY: emerging new york architects (ENYA)
designer: nooyoon by hyuntek yoon
program: urban infrastructure
location: queens, new york
year: feb, 2014

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.