DXA studio, a New York-based architecture and design firm known for a diverse range of projects primarily in Manhattan and Brooklyn, today announced it will exhibit its conceptual design for The Midtown Viaduct during the Venice Architecture Biennale 2021 from May 22nd to November 21st.

The Midtown Viaduct is an urban pathway that would span Ninth Avenue and connect the new Moynihan Train Hall at West 31st Street to the High Line and Hudson Yards at 30^th Street in Manhattan. The proposal was awarded Grand Prize at the 2019 Design Challenge organized by Metals in Construction magazine.

“It is an honor to be invited to display our concept for the Midtown Viaduct during the Venice Architecture Biennale, which is one of the premier international showcases for architectural design in the world,” said Jordan Rogove, Co-Founder and Partner of DXA studio.

The Midtown Viaduct will be shown at Palazzo Bembo in Venice as part of the exhibition Time Space Existence, organized by the European Cultural Centre, which features “completed and ongoing projects, innovative proposals, researches and utopian dreams of architectural expressions.”

Drawing inspiration from the architectural icons it connects, DXA’s award-winning design references the historic interlaced steel plate work of the High Line and the intricate steel structure of the original inner concourse of the 1910 Penn Station. The structural steel fabrication also harkens back to the 19^th century with the structural framing concept of the Statue of Liberty. Today the curved structural framing can be executed with a combination of innovative techniques, such as water jet cut steel and pre-fabrication assembly, to create a beautifully bending pedestrian path over the heavily trafficked avenue.

“The Midtown Viaduct goes beyond much needed connections to transform a disused area of the city into an activated, dynamic and social pedestrian amenity that would service millions of people every year,” said Wayne Norbeck, Co-Founder and Partner of DXA studio.

The proposed structure consists of transverse ribs shaped according to the cross-section of the pedestrian pathway and spaced approximately every 10 feet at the longer linear paths. The resulting formation makes an interlaced and dynamic public space for this rapidly emerging area of the city.

All original 3D modeling and graphics for the exhibit were done in-house by DXA studio. ATOMIC was responsible for the 3D printing, assembling, and painting of the model. DXA and ATOMIC collaborated on the joining method. Based on DXA’s direction, ATOMIC also devised a system for suspending the model from the ceiling with cables, as well as the design and testing of the lighting system.