INTERTIDAL OBJECTS II
New York City, NY USA
Project
Intertidal Waterfront Masterplan
Host
Randall’s Island Park Alliance
Size
Multiple Intertidal and Rockpool Units
Collaborators
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Randall’s Island Park Alliance
Looking at intertidal ecosystems, these ecological installations serve to cultivate habitat conditions for native species while providing erosion projection of shorelines. Expanding on the initial installation in Hong Kong Harbour, this new set of intertidal objects was placed along the rip-rap shoreline of Randall’s Island in New York City. Part of the greater New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary, the site is located where the Harlem River and East River (both, in fact, salt water tidal estuaries, not rivers) meet with brackish, yet nutrient-rich waters. Tidal fluctuation in the harbor can be up to +6.2 feet (+1.9m) at high tide and -1.3 feet (-0.4m) at low tide. Visible from Randall’s Island Park’s running and cycling path at the south shore, the objects maintain an ecological agenda while serving as sculptural punctuations at the water’s edge.
The Rock Pool and two Intertidal Objects close to low tide
The Intertidal Object unit is designed to be oriented in any direction to interlock with other fabricated units or with existing rip-rap. Surface area is increased by with the small spherical impressions while larger interconnected voids allow for spaces of refuge.
Study Models, powder print
The Rock Pool unit is designed with a large primary reservoir that creates a micro-habitat for small fish and algae, an integrated siphon allows the reservoir to be refreshed with tidal seawater and re-oxygenated without being fully washed out. The surface is articulated with spherical and ovoid subtractions, several of which are interconnected with tubes to offer save havens for sea creatures.
An Intertidal Object in the foreground and the Rock Pool in the middle of the image
One of the Intertidal Objects nestled in existing rip-rap
An Intertidal Object submerged as high tide nears