Pier 35 – an expansive recreation space taking shape in New York's Lower East Side – will soon be complete.

Jointly designed by American architecture practices SHoP and Ken Smith Workshop, the riverside park – part of SHoP's 388-hectare East River Waterfront regeneration project – will feature 28,000 sq ft (2,601 sq m) of public realm, including pedestrian paths, picnic areas, and a screen wall that will be overlaid with a variety of climbing vines.

Pier 35 will also host an artificial mussel habitat, which – according to the project's manager, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) – will "promote river ecology, with sloping concrete surfaces, textures, and gardens in the tidal zone".

Other collaborators involved in the park's engineering, management, and delivery include ARUP, NYC Parks, and Hunter Roberts Construction Group.

Speaking on the new space, NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver suggested that it would serve to benefit the "physical and mental health" of New Yorkers.

"We are excited," he added, "that with Pier 35 and the other East River Waterfront Esplanade projects, we can make an immediate impact on the surrounding neighbourhoods when we revitalise the water's edge by activating unique spaces like our city’s piers."

Trevor Holland, co-founder of the community group Friends of Pier 35, said: "The eco-park will set new standards for equitable design in passive areas with difficult urban constraints."

Work on the project is expected to conclude in March.