"Governors Island provides us with a unique opportunity to develop extraordinary parkland that will benefit the City, its residents and visitors," notes Gov. Spitzer in the statement. "The selection of the design team allows us to begin restoring this historic national treasure and add the Island to the extensive state and city park system. I congratulate the design team and look forward to working with the City of New York and our partners on the future plans for the park and promenade."

Mayor Bloomberg adds that "New York is re-embracing the waterfront for the first time in more than a century. This park on Governors Island will be at the center of this new era of waterfront recreation for New York City, and will complement the City's other great parks and recreation spaces. I am pleased that West 8's first major commission in the US will be in the country's greatest city--New York."

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, whose district includes Governors Island explains that "the design of a new park and promenade is an important step toward creating an extraordinary recreational resource on Governors Island for the people of lower Manhattan and all New Yorkers. This will help us realize our goal of creating more open space in an otherwise crowded city."

Dan Doctoroff, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding and chairman of Gipec explains that West 8's design approach and experience in "creating great civic spaces will help create a park for the 21st century. Their idea to recycle materials from demolished buildings is an innovative solution that will re-use building materials, keep tons of additional materials out of landfills, and create a sustainable park for New York."

Carol Ash, New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner, who served as a member of the Park Design Competition Jury notes that all teams "provided fresh and inspiring visions for public park usage on Governor's Island. The choice of West 8 will bring to this unique location a tremendous team that will transform the south end of the Island to a state of the art public space that will be enjoyed and treasured for generations."

West 8 was one of 29 who initially responded to the Request for Qualifications last year. Other members of the team include Rogers Marvel Architects, Diller Scofidio + Renfro, Quennell Rothschild, and SMWM. Rogers Marvel's projects include the Studio Museum in Harlem and streetscapes for the New York Stock Exchange. Moving forward, Gipec will work with the West 8 team, advocates, community leaders and groups, and the public, to design the new park and open spaces on the Island.