Re:Construction is a public art and architecture program initiated by the Downtown Alliance of New York, funded in part by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, that transforms downtown construction sites located in Lower Manhattan from urban blight into public attraction by recasting them as temporary canvasses for public art and public information.

The Program’s public information component includes a temporary environmental graphics and wayfinding sign system that complements Downtown Alliance’s existing, permanent sign system. A temporary public streetscape plan was designed for several construction sites within the Lower Manhattan area. Since pedestrians are continually presented with wayfinding challenges in navigating this area due to new and constantly changing construction sites, the designer’s primary wayfinding concept allows pedestrians to understand and orient themselves to several local destinations within a two block radius.

The scope of work included an initial investigation and analysis of all sites, an assessment of overall public information and navigational needs, and the creating of a modular graphic system to accommodate a variety of applications and site conditions, such as construction barriers, building facades, retail storefront windows, scaffolding, and free-standing elements. An essential element of the program is the introduction of large-scale ‘you are here’ maps of Lower Manhattan that are used in a variety of applications. Each map highlights a two-block radius and orients a user to their surrounding area, as well as to major destinations in each area including retail, food, services, landmarks, tourist attractions, and subways throughout downtown Manhattan.

The project was recognized by Graphic Design USA for Design Excellence in Environmental Graphic Design.