Waves of Interaction (Be Intimate With Water)

As climate change reshapes our cities, the Hudson River emerges not just as a geographical edge but as a generative force; its recycled waters reimagined for shared ritual and engagement. This project occupies Brookfield Place’s Winter Garden and circulation spaces, transforming them into an urban ritual landscape where the river’s water flows visibly through a monumental L-shaped pipe. Here, intimate, often isolated acts—bathing, steaming, cleansing, and the simple meditative pause of drinking coffee—are placed into the public realm to dissolve spatial boundaries. Eight single-person showering units invite moments of solitary care within a shared setting. A central café with 15–20 seats anchors gentle social gathering. Six existing Winter Garden trees are encircled by newly designed benches, each holding 4–8 people, offering pockets of rest beneath filtered steam and light. The steam zones act as thresholds, using recycled water to humidify and nourish the trees while quietly revealing the water cycle’s journey and fragility. Through these acts, the design cultivates a new typology of urban intimacy where solitude and collectivity coalesce. Water becomes a quiet choreographer of social rhythm and sensory experience, a connective tissue that transforms personal care into communal performance. No longer passive, water is the medium through which public space is redefined, and private ritual becomes collective belonging—reminding the city that care for self, community, and environment flow together as one.

The project occupies approximately 2,500–3,000 square meters within Brookfield Place, spanning the Winter Garden and major circulation routes inside the mall. Its core is a visible, custom-engineered L-shaped pipe system—approximately 120–150 meters long—that channels water directly from the Hudson River into the interior spaces.

The water system is designed as a three-stage closed-loop filtration cycle:
1. Stage One — Potable Supply: Raw river water is first mechanically filtered to remove sediments and undergoes advanced treatment to meet potable water standards. This clean water supplies the café’s drinks and coffee, as well as connects to the surrounding food district inside the mall, symbolically linking the public’s daily rituals to the river’s flow.
2. Stage Two — Greywater Reuse: After use in the café and food district, the resulting greywater is collected and treated on-site through secondary filtration. It is then reused to supply the eight single-person shower units, each using about 25–30 liters per session.
3. Stage Three — Ecological Return: The shower water is collected as blackwater and passes through a final biofiltration stage that uses planted wetland beds integrated into the circulation spaces. The treated water then irrigates the Winter Garden’s six existing trees and surrounding planting beds.

The steam zones, which function as transitional thresholds between programs, draw from this reclaimed water loop to maintain a humidity level of 50–70% RH, sustaining the indoor microclimate for plants and creating immersive misting effects.

Custom circular benches encircle each tree, seating 4–8 people and forming small gathering islands beneath the filtered light and steam. The café anchors the center with 15–20 seats, turning the ritual of drinking coffee into a moment of shared awareness of the site’s water cycle.

The system is designed to supply about 50% of the project’s total annual water demand through reuse, significantly reducing dependence on the municipal potable supply. Materials—including sealed concrete, moisture-resistant wood, and stainless steel—are specified for high-humidity and corrosion-prone conditions.

All components integrate with Brookfield Place’s existing mechanical and structural systems and comply with New York City flood resilience, indoor air quality, and health standards. Real-time monitoring displays near the steam zones visualize water flows and educate visitors about the Hudson River’s role as an urban ecological resource—making water not only the medium of ritual, but an active teacher within the space.