The Parachute Pavilion: an open design competition for Coney Island
Competition Launch: December 2004
Competition Website: Parachute Pavilion
"The Parachute Pavilion: an open design competition for Coney Island" solicited innovative design proposals for a pavilion that would contribute to a 21st-century vision for Coney Island. In concert with the Coney Island Development Corporation's planning initiatives, Van Alen Institute initiated a competition for a pavilion celebrating the famed Parachute Jump—a designated landmark and iconic reminder of Coney Island's history of recreation and amusement. The pavilion design was to play a key role in the ongoing revival of Coney Island, with implications for urban recreation in New York City waterfront communities and beyond.
The Parachute Pavilion was conceived to be an all-season generator of recreational activity, drawing the public onto the boardwalk, the beach and Surf Avenue. Throughout history, pavilions have acted as catalysts for animating parks, waterfronts and urban districts by accommodating myriad recreational and commercial activities as well as being paradigms of innovative design. This competition provoked designers to stretch the limits of what a pavilion can be, both formally and programmatically, connecting it to both the history and the future of Coney Island.
One of the largest competitions in Van Alen Institute's history, over 2,000 individuals registered to compete and 864 designers from 46 countries ultimately submitted proposals. The winning pavilion was designed by London-based architects Kevin Carmody, Andrew Groarke, Chris Hardie and Lewis Kinneir, who received Van Alen Institute's first New York Prize for research and development of the text, "The Pavilion: Symbol of Recreation and Regeneration." The New York Prize evolved into an annually awarded fellowship prize in March 2007.
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