BQE Facelift
Location: Brooklyn NY
Year: 2020
Status: Proposal
Program: Infrastructure
Team: Shane Neufeld, Jacky Hoang
Area: NA
What if it were possible to amend the ailing cantilever by simply reinforcing it with additional structure? Most cantilevers are prone to fail, at some point, and historically, when infrastructures begin to fail, one of the surest ways to remedy collapse is to add reinforcements - not to remove the structure in its entirety, or to rebuild it from scratch. Our approach aims to fix the problem not by creating a temporary roadway to be used for years while construction crews rebuild, or to internally reinforce the cantilever so as to maintain their original, aesthetic appearance.
Rather, our strategy proposes the addition of vertical, prefabricated concrete reinforcements, buttresses if you will, that attach directly on to each of the three cantilevered edges. Each buttress pushes upwards and into the existing structure, forcing them back into a state of compression, while diverting a significant amount of the downward load and potentially adding many years to the infrastructure’s lifespan while potentially saving the city billions of dollars.
Existing Conditions
Proposed Design
