Floating Towers Could Withstand Rising Water Levels In The Hudson

HUDSON RIVER PARK, NY — Floating, elevated towers could be the answer to rising sea levels in New York City, according to a new concept developed by a local architecture firm.

The firm DFA released renderings this month of a new kind of apartment complex: One built on a floating pier over the Hudson River that would be able to withstand and adapt to rising water levels, which are projected to rise considerably over the next several decades. By 2100, scientists expect sea levels to rise between 18 and 50 inches along the New York's coastlines.

DFA proposed a series of cylindrical towers for Pier 40, the massive pier on the Hudson River in Greenwich Village. The firm's ideas are purely conceptual; in 2016, developers bought the air rights to Pier 40 and gained a approval to turn the St. John's Terminal, located across from the pier, into a mixed-use complex. The money from the air rights sale is meant to go toward fortifying the crumbling pier and keeping it from sinking into the river.

DFA's concept "takes a longer-term view with comprehensive design approach for the future," the firm said in a statement.

The proposal, first reported by Deezan, calls for 19 high-rises ranging in height that would be situated throughout the pier. All of the residences in the towers would be elevated 60 inches, protecting the prospective homes from storm surge levels. The design could allow the waterfront property to be habitable until the year 2100.

The architecture firm created the concept, it said, because of a dearth of sustainable, forward-looking design projects throughout the city.

"We see so many projects going up in New York that are quick, chart-driven responses to serious problems," DFA founding principle Laith Sayigh told Deezen. "These short-term resolutions will not safeguard the city from rapid changes in the environment or protect future generations of people."

Image credit: Rendering courtesy of DFA