Land+Living: Morphosis Olympic Village

Architecture — May 28, 2004 Posted by James

Morphosis wins 2012 NYC Olympic Village design competition

We have been looking at these images for some time, but it didn't click until yesterday when we came across a photo tour of Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation. The Morphosis design seems to us to take many cues from Corbu; the plan for Algiers also came to mind. Thus we decided to post an entry about Corbu's Marseille project, and to follow up today with a feature on the Morphosis Olympic Village.

Our design for the Village establishes an iconic landmark and proposes an innovative vision for a 21st century urban environment that will redefine contemporary urban living through its commitment to sustainability, connectivity and interdependence. It is our intent to transform Hunters Point into a revitalized “new territory” that will leave an important legacy, or gift, to the city, while also providing the new generative tissue, or architectural DNA, that will continue to stimulate and inspire the development of the Queens area.

With 43 acres of open space reserved for both urban and natural parkland, this development’s greens will create the largest urban waterfront park in New York City. By working carefully and deliberately to sculpt land and building forms into a coherent relationship with the existing urban fabric and naturally advantageous site conditions, we will create a vibrant new neighborhood that will become an important stimulus for creative and optimistic development of the adjacent urban areas for years to come.

Link: NYC 2012 press release (Morphosis announced competition winner)
Link: NYC 2012 (finalists)
Link: New Yorkled (images of Morphosis design)
Firm: Morphosis

Following are some photos of the Morphosis proposal shown with a few images of Le Corbusier's designs to compare and contrast.

The long low rise buildings hug the shore line in a way that reminds us of Le Corbusier's plan for Algiers.

Le Corbusier's plan for Algiers

The Morphosis design features areas where the ground plan flows freely under the building block

Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation

Morphosis Olympic Village plan

9 comments

Comments (9)

nanuka — February 27, 2007
cool

cool

Mr.Mr. — February 11, 2008

I dont see a problem by implementing and developing an old ideas. Turning it into something useful at this current time. Isn´t it?

Especially in architecture, where lines, shapes, and forms are media of expressions...similar to languange in a sense...where repetetiveness might occur.

varda nisar — May 2, 2008

well there is no such thing as a blank canvas or is it?

billy-bob — November 12, 2008
i like

i like

sweatpants money — November 12, 2008

copy cat

zid — January 5, 2009
olympic city

i think this project will be very successful

Josh Parker — March 25, 2010
Relativity

doing a project on Morphosis..trying to relate their design philosophy and style to the Tallahassee area.. Don't really see how this proposal relates to the urban fabric in NYC?? having the same problem with my design, in trying to relate an iconic style of architecture with a urban and vaguely vernacular neighborhood a few miles from the capital building..