Delancey and Essex Municipal Parking Garage

This project for the NYC Department of Design and Construction and NYC Department of Transportation completely rehabilitates the five-story, 40-year-old Delancey and Essex Municipal Parking Garage located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The façade for the Delancey + Essex Garage is a three-dimensional surface of lines that is produced by offsetting two layers of 1 ¼” composite cables. When the two layers – one planar and the other folded – are viewed together, moiré patterns are created by the interference of the crossing lines. The patterns seemingly move across the face of the building as the viewer’s position changes, whether they are walking or approaching by car. The pattern of the cable design was inspired by the work of various abstract artists such as Naum Gabo and Fred Sandback who have defined form and space simply with lines. The scheme captures the visually dynamic quality of Optical Art works from the 1960’s, including Françoise Morellet’s “Grillage” drawings, where simple geometries were juxtaposed to create new, larger-scale patterns. The cables are positioned as if they were woven on a loom. This concept of weaving is loosely associated with the history of the Lower East Side and the early garment industry there.