Loop 'N' Link Sunnyside Yards
“Loop ‘N’ Link” was conceived as a series of serpentine, curving housing blocks that envelop residents in an array of diverse public spaces where people can share a sense of togetherness. Designed to a passive house standard, the team placed the social and physical well being of residents among the top priorities of the scheme, ensuring Loop 'N' Link would deliver a close-knit community experience while still seamlessly integrating with the existing surrounding neighborhoods.
Sunnyside Yards sits atop 180 acres of proposed development over the Amtrak, MTA and LIRR shared railway yard and depot between Queens Boulevard and Honeywell Street in Queens. The publicly owned transport site has been earmarked for 12,000 new affordable dwellings along with parkland and several schools, health centers, libraries and children’s facilities.
The presence of the railroad yard, the rhythm of the tracks, and the need to span them efficiently with a repetitive structure, formed the fundamental guiding principles that informed our structural proposal, both at street level and above. The project’s proposed structural systems succeed by being straightforward, repetitive, and economical, while enabling flexibility in the architecture above, each of which we see as being essential to making the development of Sunnyside Yards a reality.
Competition juror Enrica Oliva, Partner and COO of Werner Sobek New York says:
“The entries have shown a wide variety of approaches: it was a true reflection, in my opinion, of how architects and urban planners, along with their allies—the structural engineers and facade consultants—are looking at the challenge and seeking an opportunity to make a difference.”
Location
Architect
Daab Design
Awards
Metals in Construction and Steel Institute of New York, 2021 Design Challenge, Finalist
Rendering by
Daab Design