The Carousel Pavilion at Hudson River Park on Pier 62 in New York is an engaging architectural feature. The structure’s green shed roof provides shelter for park patrons and shields the merry-go-round from direct sunlight, heightening the charm and drama of its lights and colors. In addition, the pavilion’s trusses evoke the striking, vintage Bethlehem Steel pier structures that slowly are disappearing from the riverfront. Its creative use of building materials earned the project an honorable mention in the Building Green category of the 2011 Metalmag Architectural Awards.
“The reuse of the truss materials from the original pier warehouses to create the roof framing over the new pavilion demonstrates how creative thinking and planning can integrate existing materials with minimal rework, thus saving energy and materials,” says awards judge Jason Wright, associate with Hickok Cole Architects in Washington, D.C.
The pavilion was intended as an elevated fragment of landscape to engage the topography of the Lawn Bowl and curving pathways on Pier 63. With the neighboring concrete skate park, it forms an edge and filters between the pastoral park setting to the sports recreation spaces on nearby Chelsea Piers.
Five distinct trusses are placed in a non-uniform, shearing layout. The muscularity of the columns and trusses brings to mind the existing and former pier structures. The carousel is availed of much of its decorative layers, exposing its mechanism and giving riders a view of the river and the park. Use of the lightweight, durable steel helps ensure the whimsical carousel will be enjoyed by visitors for years to come.