Reed

No doubt aided by Pinterest’s relentless algorithms, The High Line is one of the most famous landscape architect projects in the world. It’s uniqueness is unparalleled which makes for a fascinating study which I became even more appreciative of after I read the book. Being able to see the project in real life was truly something special for me.

 

It was lightly spitting when I left the subway station but I immediately bee-lined towards one of the entrances. The Pentagram signage greeted me and gave me an brief insight into the quality of design that awaited. A small, unpretentious staircase later and I was in the above world, where the lines between city and nature started to blur.

The difference in atmosphere as I ascended above the streets of New York was startling.

The sounds from below became blunted; the shouts, horns and never ending construction lessened in their intensity and gave me an immediate feeling of calm; further enhanced by the visual contrast. Gum stained concrete pavements morphed into to the distinct polished blocks, the traffic lights disappeared, the traffic disappeared. The frantic scrambling across roads simplified, a linear path laid itself out before me and I found an unexpected haven of peace and order above the streets.

The planting looks natural, but to the somewhat trained eye you can tell it’s very well maintained by human hands. It’s right between a garden and wilderness which to me looks utterly fantastic. All the wonders of a natural ecosystem; rigorously maintained for form and function.

The architectural finesse of the High Line is equally brilliant. The design details of elements like the pavers, the seating and the lighting speak to a level of craftsmanship that reminded me of the architecture of Oslo – no expense spared to make the design work.

Together, the combination of harsh, straight lines with soft planting shows exactly how effective contrast can be in design. It’s given me a much greater appreciation for this simple technique and I will be looking to use it more in my designs.

As I spent more time in the city over the next few days, The Highline’s value as a pedestrian “highway” only increased. Highway is probably the wrong word, but due the block layout of the city, the appeal to New Yorker’s is clear. A place to walk or run avoiding the frequent punctuation that persists below. For New York’s non-humans, the appeal is also clear…a diverse mix of planting and environments that appeal to a broad range of species. Just exquisite.

THE END