Under the highway, down to the river
On the East River esplanade, a glowing girder guides people under the FDR Drive to the water without blocking the view.
The East River Waterfront, with SHoP Architects and Ken Smith Workshop, is a 500-foot stretch of esplanade between Wall Street and the South Street Seaport1. It starts at the edge of South Street, runs under the elevated FDR Drive and out to the river1.
Continuous fluorescent sources hidden under a steel beam light the east-facing girder indirectly, so the girder itself guides people to the waterfront without interrupting their sight lines1.
From the project
At Pier 15, the underside of the upper deck glows with gelled linear fluorescent fixtures that link the upper and lower levels, and a stadium-seating area that steps down to the water sits under a field of LED point lights1. Lensed LEDs set into the ground mark the edge of each step1.
The studio lists a 2013 AL Design Award for the pier and esplanade1.
- Tillotson Design AssociatesLighting design
- SHoP ArchitectsArchitecture
- Ken Smith WorkshopLandscape architecture
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these public pages. Open the original to check it, or to see more of the project.
- Tillotson Design AssociatesTillotson Design Associates — East River WaterfrontUndated page · checked 2026-09-28
Chapter 02 · Parks and shoreRead it in the issue →
