The BIG “U”
Project Team: BIG
Location: Manhattan, New York
Prize Awarded: $335 million
The Big U is a protective system around Manhattan, driven by the needs and concerns of its communities. It protects 10 continuous miles of low-lying geography shielding the city against floods and stormwater and providing social and environmental benefits to the community, and an improved public realm.
The plan comprises 3 systems, each created though consultation with local communities. Describing the scheme, Bjarke Ingels said “The Big U is an example of what we call Social Infrastructure. The High Line shows how a decommissioned piece of infrastructure – the abandoned elevated railway – can be transformed into a public space and green landscape. We asked ourselves: What if we could envision the resilience infrastructure for Lower Manhattan in a way that wouldn’t be like a wall between the city and the water? The Big U will not only make the waterfront more resilient but also more accessible and inviting to the citizens around it.”