The construction will be located not only next to the High Line - a railway overpass in Manhattan, turned into a park (its second section recently opened, there will be three in total), but also right next to the new building of the Whitney Museum - another work of Renzo Piano. The architect dealt with them at the same time, but then the financial crisis jeopardized the project to expand the museum, and the technical building "acquired independence." But this spring they laid the foundation stone for the new Whitney building, so they will open at the same time - in 2015.
If the facades of the ziggurat-like museum are made of light-colored steel and concrete, the technical building will consist of a dark gray concrete frame and glass walls. A cafe will be located on the first of its four floors; on a total area of 1950 m2, freight and passenger lifts, public toilets, a police station, various storage and utility rooms are also planned (the park, where many thousands of people visit every day, requires constant care: cutting the grass, weeding and planting plants, thorough cleaning). On the fourth floor, there will be an education center and a public meeting room, and there will also be an office for 20 employees of the Friends of the High Line (FHL) organization that created the park. The building will be completed by a roof terrace with a sculpture garden of the Whitney Museum. It will be possible to get into the technical building both from the street and from the level of the High Line overpass.
N. F.