The new TKTS Booth, designed by top international architecture and design firm Perkins Eastman, responds to its location a top Father Duffy Square, a slender triangular-shaped public park in Times Square.//Description from Perkins Eastman’s website:

‘Perkins Eastman created an icon for the city of New York—the sculptural centerpiece of a major urban renewal project transforming Times Square. The design, based on a competition-winning concept drawing by Choi Ropiha, raises the profile of the Theatre Development Fund (TDF), which operates the booth to provide a discount outlet for tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.

The all-glass structure rises over a fiberglass shell. This component, emblazoned with the TKTS signage on the walls and even etched into the glass, houses all the ticket office functions with twelve windows for distribution. The booth includes LEDs to illuminate the red glass and a geothermal system with two parts—radiant panels to provide heating and cooling that regulates extremes under the steps, and an air handler for comfort in the booth. The design cleverly uses custom-made pieces that can be assembled on-site with minimal disruption to the high-traffic site.’

//Design Statement From Choi Ropiha:

‘The TKTS project which opened on 16th October 2008 by Mayor Bloomberg is a culmination of an extraordinary process that started with the largest design competition in New York City’s history of the time in which Choi Ropiha were selected as winners over 683 international entries.

The challenging brief was to redesign a classic New York icon, the TKTS booth at the centre of Times Square. Whilst the brief simply requested designs for a small scale architectural structure to replace the existing ticket booth, Choi Ropiha’s winning entry reframed the competition as an urban design project. Key to their approach was the thinking that as one of New York City’s great gathering points and a focus of urban theatre, both literally and metaphorically, Times Square had nowhere for people to sit and enjoy the passing show, no iconic arrival marker, no picture postcard to leave with. It seemed like a theatre without seats.

Our response was to terrace the public domain upward as a series of tiered red translucent slabs to form this much needed seating, and to house the new booth underneath. In order to give this gesture further potency, the tiered seating is lit from below causing the whole staircase to glow at night and strengthen the presence of TKTS in the visually charged context of Times Square.The structure also forms a backdrop for the nearby statue of Father Duffy, and importantly, forms new public space where TKTS clients and visitors alike can pause to sit and take in the ‘theatre’ of Times Square.

Following on from the competition, our concept has been developed and progressed to construction by architects Perkins Eastman (responsible for the booth design) and William Fellows Architects (responsible for the plaza design). Through their input, the concept has evolved to become an exceptional bespoke glass structure sitting on an expanded open plaza.

After nervous beginnings, it has been rewarding for us to see the myriad of  stakeholders and government agencies including Theater Development Fund, Times Square Alliance, Coalition for Father Duffy and City of New York, unite behind our concept with the common belief that the project can make a difference.

We hope the TKTS booth becomes a popular meeting point and an iconic marker for Times Square. We also hope that by expanding the function and the identity of the TKTS booth, it will strengthen TKTS’ position as a New York cultural institution.

The TKTS project has been widely acclaimed for the way in which the design provides public and private benefits while simultaneously strengthening the essential character of Times Square.

The project received 2007 New York Art Commission Award for Excellence in Design.’

//Quotes

‘The winner is really the winner. Seldom in a design competition with so many excellent entries is the winner so obviously the best choice. It goes beyond meeting the criteria and is even poetic (which is really hard considering the Times Square environment!) It will become a landmark.’, Tucker Viemeister, juror.

‘It has been rewarding to see so many stakeholders and government agencies unite behind the concept with the common belief that the project can make a difference.’, Tai Ropiha, partner of Choi Ropiha.

‘We hope the TKTS booth becomes a popular meeting point and an enduring marker for Times Square.’ ,
John Choi, partner of Choi Ropiha.

//Winners

First Prize ($5,000)
John Choi / Tai Ropiha (Sydney, Australia)

Second Prize ($3,000)
Ove Arup & Partners / Thomas Phifer and Partners (New York, NY)

Two Third Prizes ($2,000 each)
Lissoni Associates (Milan, Italy)
Leo Mieles (Toronto, Canada)

Four Honorable Mentions
Byron Terrell / Rahman Polk (Chicago, IL)
Mauk Design (San Francisco, CA)
Lippincott & Margulies (New York, NY)
U-Arc Studio (Seattle, WA)

Read all about the competition: www.vanalen.org