Construction of the High

Line Presentation by Noshin Haque

Overview of the Highline Today

• Section 1 extends from Gansevoort Street to West 20th Street and opened in June 2009.

• Section 2 connects West 20th Street to West 30th Street and opened in June 2011.

• Sections 1 and 2 are more developed, but Section 3: High Line at the Railyards is planned to be left more untamed.

Steps of Park Construction

• Removal of Previous Materials

• Preparation of Site• Construction of Landscape

Elimination of Previous Materials

• Steel rails, gravel ballast, soil, debris and a layer of concrete, must be removed.

• Minor repairs must be made to concrete and steel.

• Each section of railroad is marked, mapped, and stored for later use.

Preparing the Site • Steel elements of High

Line structure are sandblasted.

• Repairs are made to the High Line’s Art-Deco railings.

• Pigeon-proofing installed in beams on the underside of the structure.

• Drainage system and layer of waterproofing instituted.

Construction of the Park Landscape

• High Line’s pathways are made of smooth, tapered concrete planks.

• High Line’s railroad tracks returned.• Seating – peel-up benches, alcove seats, sundeck

lounge chairs• Construction of stairs and elevators• LED lighting• Soil is delivered and distributed.

Planking

• Each concrete plank is 12 feet long and tapered at the ends.

• The layers of the walking surface are built on a underlying layer of concrete.

• The system of planks allows for the free flow of water, which is collected for irrigation and directs water into planting beds.

Reinstallation of Tracks

• The tracks that were marked, mapped and stored are re-installed.

• The regions underneath the tracks are filled with soil, so that plants can grow up and between the tracks.

Soil Placement• A filter fabric

membrane is attached to the planks.

• Then, soil can be brought to the site.

• After the plants are in place, an irrigation system is installed and water distributed once all the plants are in place.

• Until the irrigation system is in place, plants are hand-watered.

Soil Placement

«Agri-tecture »

Planting

Planting

Seating

Seating

The Cutting of Entrances• 14 tons of steel were

removed for the 30th Street entrance

• The 30th Street stairs cut through the structure.

• Steel beams were cut in half to make way for the stairs and elevator.

• One of the High Line’s I-beams had to be cut for the 14th Street entrance.

The Viewing Spur• The Viewing Spur

consists of 11-by-22-foot steel at the High Line at West 26th Street.

• The Viewing Spur is meant to recall the billboards that were once attached to the High Line.

• Frame serves as contrast to billboards.

• Frame is surrounded by trees, with a platform with benches.

The Viewing Platform• The platform’s

foundation is a 15-by-35-foot steel frame.

• The platform, lit from below, has a transparent floor so visitors can see traffic below.

• The platform appears as a “floating stage.

The 10th Avenue Square• Four massive steel

panels were cut from the north side of the 10th Avenue Square.

• Glass windows will be installed where the steel panels were.

• A stepped wooden ramp allows people to come down to the windows.

• Careful regulation of traffic was necessary.

The Finished Product!

References

• http://www.asla.org/2010awards/173.html• http://www.thehighline.org/galleries/imag

es/tags/construction• http://www.thehighline.org/blog• http://www.thehighline.org/

design/construction• http://galleristny.com/2012/09/high-line-b

egins-its-final-expansion/

• http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/nyregion/02highline.html?_r=3&scp=1&sq=high+line+glenn+collins&st=nyt&oref=slogin&