Author: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP

Following in the footsteps of France, Spain, and Scandinavia, Washington D.C. this month launched a bike-sharing program it calls SmartBike DC. Made possible by Clear Channel Outdoor and the District Department of Transportation, 10 modular, self-service bike stations are located in the city’s central business district. After paying an annual fee of $39.99, subscribers receive a card that works like a MetroCard, and they can rent a bike for up to three hours at a time.

Since May is “Bike Month” in NYC, I have been looking at a number of proposals on the table to increase bike access in the city — from expanded cycling zones to better bridge access and increased bicycle parking. I have not come across many proposals for bike-share programs, however. Storefront for Art and Architecture hosted a temporary program last year (See “NYC Looks to Pop a Wheelie,” by Carolyn Sponza, AIA, LEED AP), which launched the New York Bike-Share Project website, but that website has not had much activity since. The only current proposal I could find is the free bike-share program planned for Governors Island, with bikes designed by the West 8/Rogers Marvel Architects/Diller, Scofidio + Renfro/Quennell Rothschild/SMWM team.

Even though many bike-share programs in other countries have failed due to vandalism and theft, I think bike sharing is a great way to ease congestion, both in subways and on the streets. It also encourages exercise and healthy lifestyles, and it can be affordable. With a reasonable annual fee, using D.C.’s example, the program becomes cheaper than taking the subway. Without having to pay for and maintain a bicycle, I can see such a program taking off in NYC. I hope D.C. will prove a successful model.

Please comment and let me know what you think about bringing bike-sharing to NYC.

Architecture for Humanity (AFH) is raising funds to support reconstruction efforts in Myanmar (was known as Burma). Work will focus on rebuilding sustainable clinics, schools, community centers, housing, and other critical infrastructure. To make a donation (85% of donations are directed toward design and construction), go to the AFH website.

Event: Governors Island: A Park for All New York
Location: Museum of the City of New York, 04.15.08
Speakers: Betty Chen, AIA — Vice President, Governors Island Preservation and Education Corporation (GIPEC); Robert Pirani — Regional Plan Executive Director, Governors Island Alliance; Jonathan Marvel, AIA, Robert Rogers, FAIA — Principals, Rogers Marvel Architects
Moderator: Robin Pogrebin — New York Times
Organizer: Museum of the City of New York

Proposed hills made from demolition rubble on Governors Island will provide 360-degree views of New York Harbor.

West 8

When the Federal government sold Governors Island to NYC in 2002, the $1.00 price tag came with a number of conditions including development of a waterfront esplanade and a minimum of a 40-acre public park. Now, after a well-publicized international competition in which the team West 8/Rogers Marvel Architects/Diller, Scofidio + Renfro/Quennell Rothschild/SMWM was selected, research and development has begun. Groundbreaking for the phased plan is expected in 2009.

The new “World Park,” as the team titled its competition entry, acknowledges the island’s central location in New York Harbor among world-renowned icons such as the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge. The park itself will be located on the southern half of the island, where an abandoned military airfield and surrounding buildings will be demolished leaving a blank slate for development. The park will be sandwiched between buildings along the waterfront leading to the southern tip.

A visitor’s experience of World Park begins on the ferry ride to the island, stated Robert Rogers, FAIA, principal of Rogers Marvel Architects (which is also redeveloping Manhattan’s Battery Maritime Building to deliver ferries to Governors Island in the future). The waterfront promenade features “signature” pavement patterns and encourages different speeds of movement — by foot or bike or electric vehicle. After entering through the archway of McKim, Mead, and White’s Liggett Hall, the park’s paths are organized in a pattern based on the scales of butterfly wings. There will be a wide variety of park types encouraging different kinds of play, including a seasonal botanic forest, recreational fields and meadows, and an amphitheater for concerts. The culmination of the park is at the southern tip, or “Prow,” where a salt marsh will allow visitors to observe and learn about fish and local marine life — they will be able to bend down and touch the water while experiencing an uninterrupted view of the harbor.

One of the main highlights, or “the signature piece” according to Jonathan Marvel, AIA, will be the “Hills.” Produced from the site’s demolition rubble folded into a geotech fabric, visitors will climb 30- to 40-degree slopes to 100-foot-high summits. Once above the tree line, they will have a 360-degree view of the harbor, Statue of Liberty, Lower Manhattan, and Brooklyn.

Since 2005, Governors Island is open to the public throughout the summer. Part of the phased master plan is to increase the number of events and amenities each year throughout construction. This year, the island will be open May 31-October 5. Among the many installations and productions, the New York Philharmonic will perform July 5, and one of Olafur Eliasson’s NYC Waterfalls will feature a 120-foot-tall waterfall off the island’s north shore. Also, in addition to the Governors Island ferry, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferries will also make stops at the island.

Due to the unusually high number of construction casualties this year, the NYC Department of Buildings this week launched Construction Safety Week. From scaffold worker training, to harness tutorials, the city appears to be taking a much-needed closer look at the industry’s regulations and training procedures. Amidst the reviews and crackdowns, and in light of the resignation of Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster, FAIA, rumor has it that Mayor Bloomberg is looking to change some of the requirements of the Commissioner position itself — for the worse. The New York Times, among other publications, reported that, “the administration is talking with the City Council to remove the requirement that the commissioner be an architect or engineer” (“City’s Buildings Chief Resigns as Outcry on Accidents Grow,” by Diane Cardwell and Charles V. Bagli, 04.23.08).

As Buildings is creating new regulations to improve safety on construction sites, it seems inconsistent then to loosen the requirements on the commissioner. It is the commissioner’s role — as it is an architect’s or an engineer’s — to mediate different professions on a job. Whether the new commissioner is an architect or an engineer, or both, it is important to make sure he or she has the professional experience to manage the huge volume of construction being erected throughout the city. It is the commissioner’s role to handle permitting and code enforcement, and the department’s responsibility to review building plans and permit applications. Buildings also oversees the 400-plus building inspectors. Without a qualified individual running the department, tested and licensed by the NY State Education Department, more incidents will surely follow.

“Like the Health Department, it is necessary to employ a certified professional when life and death is involved,” stated AIANY Executive Director Rick Bell, FAIA. All five AIA chapters in NYC are joining forces with local engineering and architectural organizations to release The Established Legal Requirements for the Individual Filling the Position of Commissioner of the New York City Department of Buildings to be distributed to City Council members:

It is strongly recommended by the undersigned representatives of all of the Architectural and Engineering Professional Associations that the current reading of the charter of the City of New York with regards to the requirements that the Commissioner of the Department of Buildings of the City of New York being a licensed and registered architect or licensed Engineer in the State of New York, NOT be altered in any way so as to continue and guarantee the protection of safeguarding the life, health, property and public welfare of the over eight (8) million residents and over one (1) million visitors to the great City of New York.

To read the full document, click the link.

As May approaches, and with the AIA National Convention just two weeks away, a range of resources can help you organize your downtime. Architect has published, “At the Convention: How to Spend Your Free Time This May in Beantown,” by Fred A. Bernstein, with suggestions on architecture, restaurants and bars, and shopping locations to check out.

Also, Architectural Record‘s website, Record Reveals: Boston, features a city guide complete with overviews of the city’s history, museums, galleries, shopping, dining, nightlife, and walking tours. An open photo gallery encourages individuals as well as firms to submit photographs of interesting buildings, both new and old.