Coming Down

NYC Waterfalls Exhibit Gets Dismantled

By Nichole Altmix

The New York City Waterfalls installation is nearing the end of its display and is preparing for a carefully designed deconstruction process once its run closes on Oct. 13.

Brooklyn Bridge Waterfall nears completion in mid-June. Photo copyright 2008 Bernstein Associates.	The completed Brooklyn Bridge Waterfall pictured at night. Photo by Julienne Schaer.

Construction on the $15 million Olafur Eliasson-designed public art installation began in March 2008, and project manager Tishman Construction of New York completed work by the scheduled opening on June 26.

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The exhibit, which ran for 67 days, featured waterfalls at four different sites within the East River: at the Brooklyn anchorage of the Brooklyn Bridge; between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn, adjacent to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade; in Lower Manhattan at Pier 35, north of the Manhattan Bridge; and on the north shore of Governors Island. The 90- to 120-ft tall structures were constructed primarily out of actual scaffolding with pumps bringing water from the river to the top and dropping it back in. To protect the aquatic life in the river, the water is filtered through intake pools located underwater.

Project teams will begin dismantling the exhibit beginning in mid-October.

The Waterfall construction between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn is pictured in full swing. Photo copyright 2008 Bernstein Associates.	The completed and operating waterfall pictured at Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn. Photo copyright 2008 Bernstein Associates, courtesy of Public Art Fund.

“We are going to take it down quickly,” says Tom Hoban, senior vice president at Tishman and a project executive for the Waterfalls. “The plan is to have crews working at all sites concurrently, with the goal of having them cleaned up by the holidays.

“We are disassembling the weir first, then scaffolding, then removing the concrete pad foundation, then the different water elements. The sites were set up so not to disturb the existing conditions, so we are hoping that with a good broom cleaning and hosing, we will be finished.”

Construction on Pier 35 progresses in May 2008. Photo copyright 2008 Bernstein Associates.	Construction on Pier 35 completed in time for the Waterfalls unveiling on June 26, 2008. Photo copyright 2008 Bernstein Associates.

Tishman also considered the environmental impact when designing the deconstruction process. “We are working near water and will be careful so we don’t add debris into the river,” says Pam Friedlander, vice president at Tishman and another project executive for the Waterfalls. “We also have an elaborate safety plan where all participants and partners are all concerned about debris.”

Construction on Governors Island Waterfall kept pace with the three other waterfall sites. (Photo by Jefferson Siegel.)	Governors Island Waterfall pictured in operation. Photo copyright 2008 Bernstein Associates, courtesy of Public Art Fund.

Tishman donated its services, and most contractors did their work below cost or at a reduced cost, Hoban says.

“We had to meet all the different permitting requirements to make the job possible,” he adds. “We went in with the city as our partner to the different permitting agencies, explained the project, tried to anticipate the issues and then collaborated and orchestrated our design around issues that might arise. It was a unique effort.”