Campus in Motion: A Sports Science Research Institute for Coney Island

by Amy Fung (MAUD ’12) and Danish Kurani (MAUD ’12)

This project addresses a neglected and derelict site in the heart of Coney Island – surrounded by mechanical and industrial economy and in close proximity to the major Stillwell Avenue metro station. For years this triangular plot of land has been a waste basin for nearby industries, primarily due to inconvenience of development – adjacent infrastructures such as the Belt Parkway, metro rail, and canal effectively detach the plot from the neighborhood fabric. The site is an island, disconnected and hard to access.

An analysis of south Brooklyn today reveals that while it allocates plenty of space for recreation, the types of offerings are limited to mainstream sports such as basketball, baseball, tennis, and football. The proposal introduces alternative sports to Coney Island in extreme infrastructural urban conditions. Examples such as rock climbing and golf along the highway and boat rowing underneath it illustrate how we envision the sporting facilities can harness the form and spatial conditions of existing transportation infrastructure. Primary focus is given to the intersection of multiple infrastructures. It is here, in these amplified nodes of activity, that mobility meets education, research, and recreation. The result is a hyper-intensity that can help drive the research goals of the institute and support the leisure activities of the greater New York metropolitan region.