No Name Inlet
Terrain collaborated with the Newtown Creek Alliance and the Environmental Projection Agency to produce a vision and acquire funding for a neglected and abused segment of the NYC shoreline. The NCA has aquired several grants to further the project as both an ecological remediation pilot and a continuation of the existing Newtown Creek Nature Walk.
The current shoreline is a hodge-podge of failing concrete bulkheads, construction fill and eroding slopes. The proposal focuses on creating a more storm resilient and ecologically functional waterfront. The topographic condition of the site lends itself to a gradient of habitat zones that span in elevation from tidal salt panne to high marsh all the way to an coastal shrub and forest mix. The design strategies make the most use of existing resources- such as partnering with the neighboring recycling plant for rip-rap material, and reusing culled trees for slope stability and fish habitat.
The waterfront park consists of an upland plaza that serves the neighborhood, school and university groups, and workers of the adjacent recycling and waste-water plants. A low impact timber boardwalk floats above the habitat aress- allowing for an immersive experience of the shoreline and access to the water- and ends in a group seating area with spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline.