Doughnut-shaped viewing gallery design for Grand Central station

Designs for a doughnut-shaped viewing gallery above New York’s Grand Central station have been submitted as part of an initiative to ‘re-imagine’ the tired public spaces around the iconic transport hub.

Three proposals have been put to the Municipal Art Society (MAS) in response to the ‘The Next 100’ campaign, which was launched by the organisation earlier in the year.

Unveiling the designs, MAS said: “From a soaring “skyway” that rises above Grand Central, to a transformed Park Avenue Viaduct, to expansive pedestrian plazas and bicycle paths, the designs will help inform the future of this critical neighborhood as Grand Central celebrates its 100th anniversary.”

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s (SOM) design features a circular gallery connected to two skyscrapers either side of the station. The gallery is designed to move up and down the two multistory buildings, providing panoramic views of the city.

MAS president Vin Cipolla said: “There is perhaps no building more important in New York City than Grand Central. It is the anchor of a major commercial business district, a critical piece of infrastructure, and one of our most important urban transportation hubs. It is also one of the world’s great public spaces.

“As the city considers a new re-zoning plan that will help New York City keep pace with other global capitals, there are critical issues that need to be at the core of this new, bold, vision for Midtown. First, the public experience must be at the center of the conversation – not the size of buildings.

“As Midtown evolves, we also must ensure that we protect the buildings that are essential to our history and find ways of updating and adapting existing buildings.”

Grand Central is the largest railway station in the world in terms of platforms, with 44.

In 1968, MAS along with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis campaigned to protect Grand Central from demolition.