New York State Pavilion re-imagined as modern greenhouse
By David Malone, Associate Editor
Designed by Philip Johnson for the 1964-65 world’s fair, the now abandoned New York State Pavilion was recently the focal point of The New York State Pavilion Ideas Competition in an effort to create proposals for how to repurpose the Queens landmark.
The winning submission, dubbed ‘Hanging Meadows’ from Seattle architects Aidan Doyle and Sarah Wan, envisioned turning the pavilion into an elevated biome with a large transparent top, Dezeen reports. The greenhouse would comprise plants native to the region planted across various levels with an accompanying series of pathways.
The gridded, transparent dome consists of three peaks of differing heights and is accessible via a spiral staircase leading from the ground to the underside of the addition. This area beneath the garden is also designed to house classrooms and a planetarium.
Second place in the competition went to Javier Salinas’s design that suggested transforming the structure into a civic hub, and third prize was awarded to a community marketplace proposal from Rishi Kejrewal and Shaurya Sharma.
Overall, the competition received more than 250 submissions.