The American Institute of Architects New York State (AIANYS) honored DXA studio, a New York-based architecture and design firm known for a diverse range of projects primarily in Manhattan and Brooklyn, with an award of Merit for its Great Bridge proposal that reimagines the Brooklyn Bridge.

The proposal envisions a future that elevates people over automobiles, reclaims land entangled by roads and ramps for civic use in the form of parks, museums, local commerce, recreation and housing and makes the bridge more accessible to adjacent communities. In the design, the upper deck expansion becomes a planted promenade with lanes for tourists and commuters, while the lower deck features six traffic lanes reduced to two for trolleys and emergency vehicles, with the remainder dedicated to public use, including dedicated bike lanes and planters.

“We took on this challenge to push forward an idea that embraces people and a recognition of history as the central focus in in urban design,” said DXA studio Partner Jordan Rogove. “t is an honor to be acknowledged for our work by such distinguished colleagues and professionals in architecture and design.”

The reimagination of the bridge is the result of a collaboration with Philip Habib & Associates, Thornton Tomasetti and Patrick Cullina Horticultural Design + Consulting.

“This was an incredible opportunity for DXA studio to bring back some of the great aspects of what the bridge and its landing points used to be, and to balance that with sensitive new architectures that are a gateway to that experience,” said Wayne Norbeck, a partner at DXA studio.

Annually since 1968, AIA New York State’s Annual Design Awards celebrate local, national and international projects that achieve architectural excellence designed by architects throughout New York State. The event was held virtually on December 23.

The Design Awards Jury included Jury Chair Dan Kirby, FAIA, FAICP, NOMA, principal and client services leader for People + Places Solutions at Jacobs; Marilia Rodrigues, AIA, LEED AP, a principal at KieranTimberlake; David Burney, FAIA, co-founder and director of the Urban Placemaking and Management program at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture and Elizabeth Whittaker, AIA, founder and principal at Merge architects.