The winning proposal, Flatiron Reflection, by architecture and design firm Future Expansion, opened to the public on Monday, November 20, on the North Flatiron Public Plaza at Broadway, Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street, and will remain on view through the holidays as part of the Partnership’s “23 Days of Flatiron Cheer” programming, until Jan. 1, 2018.
Flatiron Reflection is a publicly spirited space that encourages new experiences of the city, new modes of dwelling in the plaza, and new views of its context. A bundle of shimmering tubes creates a fragmented column at the scale of the public plaza. The fluted perimeter offers niches that can be occupied, while a panoramic central space opens out like a stage into the plaza. The conical interior form cuts out the visual noise of the city to isolate the image of the Flatiron Building and its neighbors on the skyline.
The project is designed to be experienced both up-close and from a distance, in the round. As you walk around it, the play of light, shadow, and reflection changes its appearance against the background of buildings and trees. From a distance, the folds create soft reflections that become clearer as you approach: Indistinguishable shapes sharpen into hazy impressions of familiar landmarks.
