Russell Design

Challenge
The Swedish home furnishing company, IKEA, wanted a New York City presence and found a site at a former shipyard in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn. As a quid pro quo, the New York City Planning Commission insisted that IKEA provide a waterfront park for the community. How would we create an environment to remind visitors of what had been there for the previous 100 years?

Solution
While it was not possible to retain many of the remnants of the former shipyard, there were some elements that the design team, led by landscape architect, Lee Weintraub, did manage to save: giant cranes, bollards, tools, ropes, winches and the former dry dock gates. The graphic design intent was twofold: first, to remind visitors of the historical significance of the site, once a thriving shipyard where ships from all over the globe were repaired, and secondly, to identify major access points leading to the location, orient visitors within the seven acre park and effectively guide them to their intended destinations, or not…the ability to just wander, enjoy and take in the waterside scene was intentional.

Interpretive panels provide regulations and historic references through the park.

A signpost with global directions sits at the end of one of the refurbished piers.

Artifacts, including bollards and tools were collected and displayed in a childrens area.

Additional panels tell the story of the yard and the work that went on there.