Reimagine Rikers

High-fidelity photo-real renders of Rikers Island, New York as imagined in the future

Client: Brown and Caldwell
Software: Modo / Google Earth Pro / Adobe Illustrator / Adobe Photoshop
Level of Effort: 80 hours

Guiding principles

Transforming Rikers Island into a place that embraces renewable energy, open community spaces and efficient water treatment would not only allow the City of New York to reclaim precious land but, also advance new green industries. Brown and Caldwell envisioned a water treatment plant at the heart of this transformation that would be guided by five key principles:

1. Resiliency: Perform reliably during extreme events

2. Efficiency: Lower operating costs and carbon impact

3. Adaptability: Meets known and unknown future demands

4. Beneficial: Recover water, carbon and nutrients

5. Digital: Operates consistently and easily

Plant of the future

Covering approximately 62 acres on the West side of the island, an advanced water treatment plant would be constructed and divided into three main sections. Core to this plant would be sustainability and innovation. 

Community

Open green spaces for residents to gather like parks, playgrounds and recreational fields have proven to deliver many physical, mental and societal benefits to those who regularly use them. Providing these spaces at key locations around the island could encourage year-round use.

Renewable energy

A majority of the East part of the island would be dedicated to a solar farm with adjacent electrical storage by way of batteries. Many of island’s electrical needs could be met with this energy and additional wattage might be pushed to the existing grid.