Zaha Hadid Architects has transformed the fluid chevrons of 520 West 28th’s façade into a new hat, featuring blue lines with curvy form. The design, led by ZHA's Director Patrik Schumacher, was presented at a Hat Party on June 14, 2018 organised by Friends of the High Line to encourage guests to showcase their creativity through its hat-themed dress code.

Friends of High Line, founded in 1999 by community residents, fought to preserve and transform an abandoned freight rail line into a public park at a time when the historic structure was under the threat of demolition. Today the park receives over 7 million visitors a year. Friends of the High Line organise more than 450 public programs and activities supporting the communities of the High Line.

In addition to overseeing the maintenance, operations and public programming for the park, Friends of the High Line work to raise the essential funds to support more than 98 percent of the park’s annual operating budget.

ZHA's 520 West 28th building was recently completed beside the elevated park in Chelsea’s industrial neighbourhood. The studio used the building's fluid lines on the new hat that echoes its split levels and demarcates each residence within. The H-Line hat echoes these chevrons, weaving around the wearer with open and closed forms.

"There is a powerful dynamic between the streets of New York and the High Line, a layered civic realm that has developed over generations and in many iterations. 520 West 28th by Zaha Hadid Architects conveys the differing layers within this contextual relationship, applying new ideas and concepts to create the latest evolution of the site’s rich history," said ZHA in a press release.

"520 West 28th’s split levels are expressed within the interlocking chevrons of its hand-crafted steel façade that shields residents from the elements, while its detailed workmanship continues the venerable tradition within New York’s historic architecture of enhancing the public realm."

The H-Line hat celebrates Friends of the High Line’s ongoing commitment to their community. 

Project facts

Designer: Zaha Hadid Architects
Design: Patrik Schumacher
Design Team: Johannes Schafelner, Stella Dourtme, Marius Cernica, Weilong Xie
Special thanks to: Alessandra Lazzoni, Michela Falcone

All images © Luke Hayes 

> via ZHA