Wagner Park Pavilion
Thomas Phifer and Partners · Battery Park City · 2025
Construction is wrapping up at the Wagner Park Pavilion, part of the South Battery Park City Resiliency Project to construct a perimeter storm and flood protection system along the park’s boundary. In the wake of the millions in damages the park sustained from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Battery Park City Authority has undertaken a redesign of the park to help with future flooding. The level of the landscape and structures is raised from the previous park’s design, including the new Wagner Park Pavilion and Robert F. Wagner Park at the southern boundary. Designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners, the fully accessible pavilion will house a community room, restaurant, public restrooms, park storage, and a roof deck (opening later this fall) with views of the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty. The project hopes to achieve ILFI Net-Zero Carbon Certification with sustainable features that will include geothermal heating and cooling, stormwater reclamation systems, LED lighting, and a highly insulated building envelope.
Facade fronting onto Battery Place.
Facade detail.
Facade detail.
Facade detail.
Facade detail.
Facade detail.
Facade detail.
West entry to the park and pavilion.
West facade of the pavilion.
South facade of the pavilion.
South facade of the pavilion from the stepped seating in the park.
South facade of the pavilion and the stepped seating from the park’s southern boundary.
South perimeter of the pavilion.
Architect: Thomas Phifer and Partners; Structural Engineer, Landscape Design, and Project Management: AECOM; MEP Engineering: Milhouse; Envelope: SGH; Program: Park Amenities; Location: Battery Park City, New York, NY; Completion: 2025.
Wagner Park Pavilion
Thomas Phifer & Partners · Battery Park City · 2025
Facade fronting onto Battery Place.
Concrete superstructure is rising at the Wagner Park Pavilion, part of the South Battery Park City Resiliency Project to construct a perimeter storm and flood protection system along the park’s boundary. In the wake of the millions in damages the park sustained from Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the Battery Park City Authority has undertaken a redesign of the park to help with future flooding. The level of the landscape and structures will be raised, including the new Wagner Park Pavilion and Robert F. Wagner Park at the southern boundary. Designed by Thomas Phifer and Partners, the fully accessible pavilion will house a community room, restaurant, public restrooms, park storage, and a roof deck with views of the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty. The project hopes to achieve ILFI Net-Zero Carbon Certification with sustainable features that will include geothermal heating and cooling, stormwater reclamation systems, LED lighting, and a highly insulated building envelope. Completion is expected in 2025.
Facade detail.
Facade detail.
Facade detail.
Architect: Thomas Phifer and Partners; Structural Engineer, Landscape Design, and Project Management: AECOM; MEP Engineering: Milhouse; Envelope: SGH; Program: Park Amenities; Location: Battery Park City, New York, NY; Completion: 2025.
The Hills at Governors Island
For the last weekend of access to Governors Island this season, the ongoing construction of the Hills was opened up to the public for a preview. Part of the multi phase landscape design by West 8, the project includes four hills at the south end of the island that range in height from 28 to 82 feet. Visitors were able to climb to the top of the highest hill to experience the spectacular views of the park and the skylines of New Jersey and New York. The $36 million project has been funded in part by Google's CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy. Completion of the project is slated for sometime next year.
Landscape Architect: West 8; Program: Park; Location: Governors Island, New York, NY; Completion: 2016.
Hudson Park & Boulevard
In advance of the 7 train extension expected later this year, a new park that surrounds the station entrances has opened to the public. Designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, this is the first phase of the eventual 4-acre park that will extend from West 33rd to West 39th Streets and is bounded by 10th and 11th Avenues. Phase one extends to West 36th Streets, with the northern second phase yet to be built. Besides ample bench and table seating, there are lawns, fountains, a structure that houses restrooms and a kiosk, and a playground. The subway entrances have been designed by Dattner Architects and will open later this year with the 7 train extension.
Landscape Architects: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.; Architects: Dattner Architects; Program: Park, Transit; Location: Hudson Yards, New York, NY; Completion: 2015.
West Village Park
Work is wrapping up on New York's latest park, West Village Park, adjacent to the Greenwich Lane condos in the West Village neighborhood. Built as part of the agreement that developers Rudin Management and the Ofer family's Global Holdings, Inc. struck in 2011 to convert the old St. Vincent's Hospital into condos, the triangular park looks about ready to open. Design for the 16,000-square-foot park has been carried out by M. Paul Friedberg & Partners. The northwestern tip of the park will feature the AIDS Memorial, a triangulated canopy designed by Studio a+1. No signs of progress on that structure is visible at the moment. Signs posted around the site indicate the park is opening soon.
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Landscape Architects: M. Paul Friedberg & Partners; Program: Park; Location: West Village, New York, NY; Completion: 2015.
Bush Terminal Park
Over the weekend, the much anticipated Bush Terminal Park opened in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. The park is located on a former brownfield site that stretches from 43rd to 51st Street on the south Brooklyn waterfront. Along with terrific views of Lower Manhattan and New Jersey, the park also offers visitors: two soccer and baseball fields, tidal wetlands, a sloping lawn, a wooded area, harbor view points, walkways, and a sustainable comfort station. The community has been waiting for the completion of the park for several years and it looks to be worth the wait.
Landscape Architects: AECOM, Adrian Smith Landscape Architects; Architecture (Comfort Station): Turett Collaborative Architecture; Program: Park; Location: Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY; Completion: 2014.
Freshkills Park
Yesterday, Freshkills Park held its annual "Sneak Peak" event, an opportunity for the public to see the progress at the site. The former 2,200 acre Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island is in the middle of a long term conversion project into the largest park built in New York City in a hundred years. For a sense of scale, the park is approximately the size of Central Park (840 acres), Prospect Park (526 acres), and Flushing Meadows Corona Park (898 acres) combined. The park is a long term project broken down into phases, with the goal of full park completion by 2036.
Landscape Architects: Field Operations; Location: Staten Island, NY; Completion: 2036.
The High Line: Section 3 / April 20, 2014
Architects: Diller Scofidio + Renfro; Landscape Architects: James Corner Field Operations; Program: Park; Location: Hudson Yards District, New York, NY; Completion: Fall 2014 (Phase 3).
The Carol Bove Caterpillar art walk on the High Line's third section at Hudson Yards wrapped up over the weekend, which afforded an opportunity to catch up on the progress of construction for the fall opening. Much of the paved walking path has been completed, and the installation of wire mesh fencing that separates visitors from the wild plants is well underway. A mock-up is on site for the taller, black metal mesh screen to be installed at the perimeter next to the MTA facilities at the rail yards.
Field Update: Governors Island
West 8 recently led a weekend hard hat tour of phase one of their transformation of Governors Island into a world class park. This first phase focuses on the southern portion of the island starting from the Liggett Arch which will be the gateway into the Liggett Terrace and Hammock Grove. West 8's guiding principle has been to transform the flat terrain of the southern half of the island, constructed of fill from past subway excavation, through the creation of topography. To highlight this new constructed topography, multi-functioning precast concrete elements have been installed, providing planting edging and seating. Most of those elements have been installed and will soon contain the multitude of plants when the first phase opens sometime in late fall.