Sara Hazan

As individuals, and more specifically as New Yorkers, we often move about our city at a fast pace. Our recurring commutes are all about efficiency; we map our way through the streets and subway tunnels from point A to point B. Our experience of movement is often mindless and on “autopilot” mode, where we do not pay attention to where we are in space. There is a profound disconnect from what’s happening above ground when we are down in the subway stations. Furthermore, we travel through the familiar spaces of each station noticing little and rarely experiencing anything new. My thesis proposes a reformulation of the commuter experience. My intention is to use architecture to stimulate mindfulness — awareness of one’s self and surroundings. The goal is to create meaningful moments during our movement through a subway station, ones where we inhabit our bodies, experience a sense of unexpected calmness or reflection, and — for a change — feel connected to place (nature and the city). My project seeks to rethink and redesign the 14th Street–Union Square subway station, one that is rich with complexity and opportunity.