Governors Island in New York City’s harbour has undergone a massive transformation to become a landmark destination of the 21st century. Master planned by West 8, Earthscape served as a design-build partner for the design and engineering construction of Slide Hill alongside General Contractor ValleyCrest (now BrightView) and Engineering firm Stantec Consulting. Governors Island was Earthscape’s first project in the United States and involved the added logistical challenge of ferrying all materials and supplies to the Island from Manhattan.
Slide Hill opened in the Spring of 2016 and is one of the four hills built to overlook the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty. Earthscape sourced sustainably harvested Robinia from New York State for the retaining walls and climbing system for Slide Hill. Detailed construction drawings and videos were completed by Earthscape. After design, Earthscape acted as the onsite supervisor for the Hill’s grading and Robinia timber installation. Onsite 3D modelling ensured adherence to the previously tested connection and construction strategy plans. A mock up of the wall construction was completed at our Canadian production facility prior to installation on Governors Island.