NEW YORK, NEW YORK
X Street Park turns an existing underutilized streetscape in Manhattan into a vital urban park in an area of the city that is sorely lacking open space opportunities. Commissioned by Hines, Terrain Work’s design study creates a series of botanical installations that emerge from the street and contain an array of evergreen and deciduous vines like Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea peteolaris) and Climbing Honeysuckle (Lonicera sepervirens). The botanical installations strategically add three-dimensional vine plantings to a streetscape that contains myriad underground utilities preventing the planting of a consistent tree canopy to provide relief from the surrounding dense urban environment. The installation not only adds much needed vegetation, but also serve as spaces for people to occupy underneath and in between. The vine trellis transforms from spaces to be occupied to overhead shade structures. X Street Park also helps to activate proposed retail space along its northern and southern edges by providing seating and dining opportunities. Finally, the park creates a large civic space for gathering, performances, and special events at the midpoint of the block where larger community gatherings can take place.