Design Competition (2004)

In 2004, Friends of the High Line and the City of New York partnered to select the High Line’s design team through an invited design competition. Our original Request for Qualifications received responses from 52 teams, each of which included experts from the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, art, urban planning, and horticulture. Four finalist teams proposed their design approach to the High Line—not intended to be final plans, but rather framework plans and strategies of the direction each team would take if selected. Those four submissions were exhibited for the public at New York City’s The Center for Architecture in summer 2004, and can be viewed below.

• James Corner Field Operations, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf
• Zaha Hadid Architects with Balmori Associates, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, and studio MDA
• Steven Holl Architects with Hargreaves Associates and HNTB
• TerraGRAM: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates with D.I.R.T. Studio and Beyer Blinder Belle

In October 2004, a Steering Committee made up of representatives from the City of New York and Friends of the High Line selected the team of James Corner Field Operations (Project Lead), Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Piet Oudolf to begin design work on the High Line.