SHoP Design for Atlantic Yards Unveiled

September 9, 4:22 PMNY Architecture ExaminerMurrye Bernard

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Last week, we announced that SHoP Architects was joining the Atlantic Yards team. It is quite the departure from Gehry's design, which was typical of the architect's swoopy, signature style, and Ellerbe Becket's design, released earlier this summer, which was criticized for looking like an airplane hanger. The new design features a weathered steel exterior and is based on the concept of three woven bands that create an interplay of solid vs. transparency. A high canopy contains an oculus that frames pedestrians' views of the arena. Actually, it kind of looks like a baseball cap—albeit a rather stylish one.

Says Gregg Pasquarelli, a founding principal at SHoP Architects: “The design of an arena in an urban context requires a critical balance between an iconic form and the street. It must be legible at multiple scales – on the skyline, from five blocks away, from the plaza and while touching the door. It must also have an identity that delights the occupants, visitors and neighbors.”