The large Freshkills landfill used to be one of the less flattering, yet defining features of Staten Island. But that is all going to change in the next few years, and we can already begin to see the improvements, as the expansive 2,200 acres transitions into a park with the help of James Corner Field Operations. Field Operations also served as the lead designer for Manhattan’s High Line Park, which is built on an elevated freight rail line.
This new park will stretch to nearly three times the size of Central Park, and will sport a more rugged and wild landscape, including large hills from the capped, sealed and covered mounds of trash that exist from Freshkill’s previous life. There are certainly different challenges to be confronted working with a site that used to be a landfill than starting with a fresh patch of land, but the plans for the park, with the first part opening in 2016, will put the existing conditions to good use. For example, the underground stores of trash will create methane to be captured by pipes and sold to heat homes.
The design implemented by Field Operations “will preserve and open the natural environment to visitors. This will help protect the species that live there and preserve the area’s ability to absorb storm surges from increasingly common extreme weather events such as Hurricane Sandy.”
>>Read more about the plans for Freshkills Park here.
