In our last post, we addressed the challenges of designing around underground utilities. Another challenge faced by property owners and designers is the post-design waiting period—in response to the phasing of projects or due to the unpredictable nature of the construction process.

The typical scene of cranes, fencing, building debris, etc. that is associated with a construction site.  Photo: Liz Ernst

Design. Wait. Bid. Wait. Build. Wait. It’s no secret that getting a project built is a process. Once a site is in construction, the finished product could take months—even years—to be completed, and the landscape component of a project often occurs near the end of a site’s construction cycle.

These “waiting periods” are part and parcel of the construction world. So, what if the design process took this waiting period into consideration? What if temporary or short-term strategies could be incorporated into a designer’s plans from the outset?

Rendering from Hudson Square Streetscapes Improvement Plan showing multiple landscape strategies, all of which help form and shape the framework of the final streetscape vision. Courtesy: Mathews Nielsen

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Designed as a town house-lined plaza in the 1700s, the Hudson Square district was taken over for commercial use by publishers and printers in the nineteenth century. It has lately been reemerging as a hub for creative industries. Here, we’ve listed the area’s best showrooms, shops, restaurants, museums and institutions, and galleries.

Check out the Metropolis Design Guide for Design Week events and highlights from New York’s most design-forward neighborhoods. And look for the printed version of the Metropolis Design Guide around the city, especially in Chelsea at WantedDesign, in Midtown at the Architects & Designers Building and the Decoration & Design Building, in Flatiron at the New York Design Center, and at the newsstand at ICFF at the Javits Center.

Keep an eye out for what we “like” during NY Design Week. Around the city, you’ll see our lovely signs, produced by 3M Architectural Markets using 3M ™ Crystal Glass Finishes, at all of our editors’ favorite, must-see spots. Throughout our neighborhood listings, you’ll also see a  next to our favorites.

METROPOLIS LIKES CARL HANSEN & SON
With a strong grounding in the traditions of Danish craftsmanship combined with the latest production technology, Carl Hansen & Son pro-duces furniture to last for generations. Its first United States showroom features pieces from the recently acquired Rud. Rasmussen line and lighting by Pandul. For more information, see the listing below (image credit: Tom Sibley).

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