Architects to Transform Spaces at Lincoln Center

NEW YORK—Architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien have redesigned Lincoln Center's Harmony Atrium as a "theatrical garden," the New York Times reports. Currently an underused passage from Broadway to Columbus Avenue located between West 62nd and 63rd streets, the atrium is set to become a gathering place and gateway to Lincoln Center's performing arts campus with the architects' redesign.

The plan features two 20-foot-high walls of plants such as ferns, bromeliads, moss, and flowering vines; benches in moss green colors; stone floors; and water running through vertical tubes in a tribute to Lincoln Center's fountain. The ceiling will have 16 intersecting openings that will both allow natural light to enter the space and project artificial light. A removable stage will be created for free weekly performances. The atrium will also gain a visitors' center, which will have a media wall used for information and screenings, free Internet access, and a cafe.

Across from the visitors' center and next to the New York State Theater, architectural firm Diller Scofidio & Renfro is designing a new "micro-park" in association with Beyer Blinder Belle. Plans for the park as well as designs for Harmony Atrium will be released today.