YEOW!

LOWLINE....A DIFFERENT WAY

TO THINK ABOUT A PARK

There are some cities that have famous parks, like New York's Central park. Many are not surprise or impressed to hear about a new park in a city that already has a great one already. What would you think about an underground park? Perhaps, how does this actually work? Well, the minds of Dan Barasch and James Ramsey have done just that...designed and created an underground park in New York City.

The project is based on the approach, developed by James Ramsey (a former NASA engineer). The proposed location is Manhattan's Lower East Side. First the duo captivated New Yorker with the park idea in 2011 with a media campaign. The two acquired funding through a couple of 'Kickstarter' campaigns, then a South Korea technology company (SunPortal) jointed the project (2013).

So, 'How does this actually work?' The underground park will be equipped with a new prototype remote solar hardware and hand-polished lenses from Germany - the retooled optics system preserves the Archimedean aspects of the first scheme. The Lowline Lab will be housed in the Essex Street warehouse until March, but he lab is destined for the abandoned trolley station beneath Delancey Street.

While visiting the lab, you will notice the glowing tubes of refracted sunlight - suspended from the ceiling - aren't intended to illuminate the space. The park has been described as a cross between a corporate atrium, a botanical garden, and the Rainforest Café - thanks to the contributions of Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects.