Reminiscent of his design for the Olympic Cauldron is British designer, Thomas Heatherwick’s new design for the Pier 55 in the Hudson River, New York. Pier 55 will replace the delapidated Pier 54, famous as the site where Titanic survivors landed.

In the hectare of parkland there will be a performance space that can accommodate 1000 people seated and another 2,500 on the grass. Walking along the curved paths through the woods will bring you to another 800-seat amphitheatre and 250-seat stage.

Barry Diller, the 72-year-old billionaire funder behind the $170m project is a former head of Paramount Pictures and Fox and now chairman of internet company IAC. Together with his wife, the fashion designer Diane von Furstenburg, he is committing $130m towards the scheme, while the remaining $40m will be stumped up mainly by the city and state with contributions by the Hudson River Park Trust.

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