Watch Diller Scofidio Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line

Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line is a documentary film that chronicles the journey of four architects as they embark on a massive project to revamp two of New York City's most iconic landmarks: Lincoln Center and the High Line. The film introduces us to Elizabeth Diller, one of the leading architects in the world, along with her partners, Ricardo Scofidio and Charles Renfro. Together, they form the firm of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and their task is to completely transform Lincoln Center and the High Line, two of New York's beloved public spaces.

The movie begins with a brief history of Lincoln Center and its importance to New York's cultural scene. We learn about its origins in the 1950s and how it became one of the premier locations for music, opera, and theater in the world. However, by the late 1990s, it had become an outdated and decaying set of buildings that desperately needed a facelift.

The second part of the story focuses on the High Line, a 1.45-mile-long elevated park built on a former railway line on the west side of Manhattan. The High Line had been abandoned for over thirty years until a group of local residents formed the Friends of the High Line organization and began lobbying the city to transform the space into a park.

We then meet James Corner, a landscape architect who, along with his team at Field Operations, is tasked with creating a design for the High Line. We learn how the park's unique combination of industrial and natural elements inspired their design.

Throughout the film, we also get to see the behind-the-scenes work of the architects and planners as they navigate the complex process of transforming these spaces. We hear from Amanda Burden, the former Director of the New York City Planning Department, about the importance of public input in the design process.

Working with the communities surrounding the two projects was a challenge for the architects. There were concerns about displacement, erasing the history of the spaces, and the influence of the wealthy affluent. Elizabeth Diller, herself a New Yorker, was sensitive to these voices and worked hard to address these concerns. She believed in creating public spaces that could evolve and change over time while also maintaining a connection to the past.

The film also reveals how the architects dealt with various technical challenges, such as creating a visually striking fountain for Lincoln Center, which required a rigorous engineering solution to handle the weight of the water.

In conclusion, Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line is a fascinating documentary film that offers a glimpse into the work of some of the world's most innovative architects, planners, and landscape designers. Through their work, we see the transformative power of public spaces and how they can have a lasting impact on the communities they serve. Whether you are interested in architecture, city planning or the power of community activism, this film has something to offer.

Diller Scofidio Renfro: Reimagining Lincoln Center and the High Line is a 2012 documentary with a runtime of 54 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.6.