Kingston II – 2017

In Fall 2017, the CaD studio focused on Kingston Point Park area in Kingston, New York along the mouth of the Rondout River waterfront as it enters the Hudson. Historically, Kingston Point Park has been a major regional destination for recreation and leisure. While still valued and heavily utilized today, it is comprised of loosely arranged uses- a BMX park, trolley stop, ballfields, wetland recreation and many others- that balkanize the site and constrain its identity. The site is the easternmost locale of a rapidly urbanizing Kingston waterfront that is transforming into a regionally significant tourism and recreation destination as it builds from The Strand, a growing commercial center with waterfront restaurants, museums, an operational trolley, shops and other leisure associated uses.

This project investigated the design implications of emerging municipal climate adaptation interests on the park. The recent Kingston Exhibition and the ten alternative design concepts developed for the Kingston Point project area are below.

October 2018 CaD Kingston Exhibition

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Image by Luyao Kong, Hong Gao, and Qianli Feng, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2017 Cornell University

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Weaving the Waterfront

Winner of a 2017 National ASLA General Design Student Honor Award, “Weaving the Waterfront” (Luyao Kong MLA’18, Hong Gao MLA’18, and Qianli Feng MLA’18) focuses on public space, wetland restoration, and developing climate-resilient programs and interventions to build upon both ecological and scenic value in Kingston’s new waterfront. Areas projected to be inundated are planted to become a wetland. Elevated walkways carry visitors over land and water alike, tying together key site elements such as one of the Hudson River’s few public beaches and a waterfront sculptural park.

Tracing Time

“Tracing Time” design (Tess Ruswick MLA’18 and Daisy Hoyt MLA’18) features a series of interventions that document and memorialize landscape change over the years by referencing past, present, and future uses. Pedestrian and cycling paths atop berms of different elevations disappear and are forced to reroute with sea level rise, reminding future visitors of the site’s prior landscape history.

Image by Tess Ruswick and Daisy Hoyt, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2017 Cornell University

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Image by Kari Spiegelhalter and Katherine Goodrich, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2017 Cornell University

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Kingston Cove: Rising Together

Topographic moves weave together water and terrain, creating novel land and water forms in “Kingston Cove: Rising Together” (Kari Spiegelhalter MLA’18 and Katherine Goodrich MLA’18). A series of protected coves designed to shift and change with sea level rise afford recreational opportunity and invent a location for environmental education through a marsh migration project that invites students to help local wetlands adapt to sea level rise.

Actipelago

Inspired by the form and functions of an archipelago, “Actipelago” (Yifu Kang MLA’18 and Xuru Yuan MLA’18) explores connectivity and resilience to create places of high recreational and ecological value. Cut and fill operations create two archipelagos – terrestrial and aquatic – turning Kingston Point into a cohesive network of evolving sub-spaces that provide for various activities and flood strategies.

Image by Yifu Kang and Xuru Yuan, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2017 Cornell University

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Image by Kelly Farrell and Yuting Liu, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2017 Cornell University

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Kingston Point Park: Floating with the Tides

“Kingston Point Park: Floating with the Tides” (by Kelly Farrell MLA’18 and Yuting Liu MLA’18) aims to safeguard infrastructure, ecology, recreation, and accessibility by elevating road, trolley, and pedestrian site access. Wetland diversity and habitat, at risk from sea level rise, is supplemented by floating wetland modules deployed throughout the southern portion of the site to create additional lower intertidal and, ultimately, submerged aquatic vegetation substrate. Similarly, floating docks on the north side of the site create community spaces that remain functional as the river rises.

Blue: Kingston’s New Green

“Blue: Kingston’s New Green” (Parth Divekar MLA’18 and Sara Vandenbroek MLA’18) seeks to revitalize Kingston economically, ecologically, and culturally. Borrowing conceptually from the canal era, a channel is dredged through the site, allowing water to enter in a controlled fashion, increasing the number of waterfront properties and stimulating job growth. The design also comprises community activities, wetland restoration, and a variety of meditative interventions inland and on the water.

Image by Parth Divekar and Sara Vandenbroek, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2017 Cornell University

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Image by Mengtian Song and Zhuo Cheng, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2017 Cornell University

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Coexist with Time

“Coexist with Time” (Mengtian Song MLA’18 and Zhuo Cheng MLA’18) bisects the site with a canal and uses the excess material to protect the trolley line and create a varied underwater bathymetry that supports a variety of wetland depths and types as sea levels rise.

Investing in Kingston Point Park

Accessibility and history take strong precedence in “Investing in Kingston Point Park” (David Ffrench MLA’18 and Meagan Rogowski MLA’18). An elevated and widened trolley causeway maintains pedestrian access to the point, and a long pier makes the Rondout Lighthouse accessible for generations to come. Natural areas such as expanded wetlands and a meadow cap over the historic landfill invite outdoor recreation to draw residents to the waterfront and entice tourists to stay at a proposed hotel on site.

Image by David Ffrench and Meagan Rogowski, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2017 Cornell University

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Image by Thackston Crandall and Veronica Chan, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2017 Cornell University

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Set into Motion

Anticipating change over time, “Set into Motion” (Thackston Crandall MLA’18 and Veronica Chan MLA’18) proposes various modular responses to material and temporal flows on site. Inspired by the growth patterns of barnacles, recycled rubble fills mound-shaped wave breaks to protect shorelines from debris and ice shear. Modular “marsh ramps” create varied microtopography in the water to accommodate wetland plants of varied inundation tolerances. Similarly, conceptually modular docks and piers create a network of public spaces that invite varied uses. Floodable natural and programmed areas provide for resilient public use.

The Kingston Loop

“The Kingston Loop” (Li Bai MLA’18 and Yuting Liu MLA’18) consists of a sequence of interventions along a well-circulated, pedestrian-friendly loop of walkways. It seeks to connect and anchor Kingston Point, preserving its utility as sea levels rise. Living shoreline strategies and marshes enhance ecological health. Water-dependent and water-enhanced recreation are featured throughout, encouraging residents to remain invested in the park with time.

Image by Li Bai and Yuting Liu, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2017 Cornell University

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Here