Van Alen Institute announces 6 finalists for their Reimagining Brooklyn Bridge competition!

Earlier this year the Van Alen Institute and New York City Council worked together to create an international open call for architects, students, and designers to reimagine the Brooklyn Bridge walkway. 

The bridge's walkway is an iconic piece of the city; however, as the pandemic quickly swept across the globe, the idea of "reimagining Brooklyn Bridge" aimed to address more than just a simple redesign. 

According to the Van Alen Institute, "As made even more clear by the pandemic, the design of our streets and shared spaces must be responsive to the present moment and work to correct past injustices. They must foster equitable, accessible, and sustainable transportation options, create a healthy and safe environment for all New Yorkers, and opportunities for small businesses and vendors to flourish."

With these new judging conditions in play, the jury selected the following six proposals to advance as finalists in the Student and Professional category. 

FINALISTS - PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY

• Bridge X ScenesLab + Minzi Long + Andrew Nash, New York, Boston, and Vienna
• Back to the Future BIG + ARUP, New York
• Brooklyn Bridge Forest Pilot Projects Design Collective, Cities4Forests, Wildlife Conservation Society, Grimshaw and Silman; New York and Montreal

FINALISTS - YOUNG ADULTS CATEGORY

• The Artery Lukas Kugler, New Milford, CT
• The Cultural Current Aubrey Bader and Maggie Redding, Knoxville, TN
• Do Look Down Shannon Hui, Kwans Kim, and Yujin Kim; Hong Kong, Bay Area, CA, and New York

A virtual Design Showdown will be held on July 23rd at 6pm as the finalists will present their proposals virtually. The public in addition to the jury will be able to share their feedback/criticism and public voting will be held for their favorite proposals from July 23-30th. 

The winner of the professional category will win $13,000 and the winner of the Young Adults category will receive $3,000. Final winners will be selected and announced this summer. 

To learn more about the finalists and their projects click here.