We were commissioned by the Hudson Crossing Park Organization to design the first major structure on Lock 5 Island in Schuylerville NY as part of the development of the future Hudson Crossing Park. The Hudson Crossing Park is a bi-county, non profit endeavor to develop a park that focuses on environmental sustainability and education. The mission of Hudson Crossing Park is: “To tie environmental responsibility to economic revitalization, and to engage people of all ages in making informed choices for a sustainable future.” To achieve the mission the organization has three objectives: “To foster environmental stewardship, to emphasize the area's natural, cultural, and economic history, to establish a public park that is an educational and recreational destination.” The park master plan consists of many developments ranging from recreational trails and destinations to the construction of a large environmental education center. The first major project to be implemented was a play garden, overlook structure, and picnic pavilion. We were commissioned by the organization to design the picnic pavilion and overlook structure. The goals of the project were to design a structure that would be intriguing in form and reflective of the new life of the area, as the movement from a manufacturing economy to a tourism economy begins in the Upper Hudson River Valley. The structure is to act as a beacon to passersby on the canal system and on Route 4 which has recently been identified as the Lakes to Locks Passage, a National Scenic Byway. Programmatically, the structure would also serve as a meeting place for families on the island, not for gatherings or functions but as a strong identifier on the trail system, an icon at which to meet. By locating the structure in a clearing on the existing berm, we created a simple, strong form that was identifiable as something unique from both Route 4, which runs parallel to the canal about 200 yards west of the structure and the canal which sits about 100 feet to the west. The strong wing like structure is both evocative and easily understood at first glance. It makes people stop and ask themselves, what is that thing and why is out there on that island, what is happening out there? The goal is to get people to investigate. The form was also specifically non contextual in terms of historic or regional vernacular as a method of identifying that the Hudson Crossing Park is a catalyst for the new life of the Upper Hudson River Valley. As the catalyst for a much bigger project, the overlook structure is a dynamic statement of what is to come and will be part of the forefront of the economic revitalization of the area in its ability to create a regional tourism destination.
 
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