SOLAR ONE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER OPENS ON MANHATTAN’S WATERFRONT

The new Solar One Environmental Education Center – designed by BIG in collaboration with the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), Gilbane Building Company, TY Lin (formerly Silman), Cosentini Associates, MNLA Landscape Architects, and others – has opened in Manhattan’s Stuyvesant Cove Park. A ribbon cutting ceremony – which included speeches by NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball, Solar One CEO Steve Levin, New York City Council Member Keith Powers, BIG Founder and Creative Director Bjarke Ingels, and Gilbane Vice President Raquel Diaz – commemorated the milestone. Defined by FSC-certified timber slats on the exterior and a roof fully clad in photovoltaic panels, the 6,409-sq-ft center expands nonprofit group Solar One’s mission of environmental education and stewardship, including flexible classrooms for educational programming, community functions, office use, and other community opportunities. The center minimizes the use of concrete – employing the material only at the flood level while incorporating lightweight, recyclable steel in the spaces above. The classrooms are elevated 19 ft above sea level, with ground-level storage areas enclosed by permeable metal grating, allowing water to flow freely during storm events. Inside, floor-to-ceiling windows frame sweeping views of the East River, Brooklyn, and Queens, while triple-glazed, bird-friendly glass mitigates sound from the adjacent FDR Drive. The center serves as the northern gateway to the BIG-led East Side Coastal Resiliency Project (ESCR), a 2.5-mile flood protection system designed to improve the resiliency of critical infrastructure and over 110,000 New Yorkers. Seamlessly connecting to Stuyvesant Cove Park’s promenade of connected terraces and gardens, the Solar One Environmental Education Center creates an engaging real-world learning experience right at the edge of the East River. “The Solar One Environmental Education Center stands as more than a building, it’s a classroom for the city – a meeting point where architecture, nature, and community converge. Clad in timber and photovoltaic panels, the center’s angled roof acts as both a renewable energy source and a teaching tool. Inside, flexible classrooms support an immersive, hands-on learning experience for New Yorkers from an elevated position overlooking the East River and Stuyvesant Cove Park. Made possible by the vision and dedication of many, our hope is that this center inspires curiosity, responsibility, and imagination – empowering generations to shape a more sustainable and resilient future together. BIG is honored to bring the project to life as both a model for future urban resilience and a home for curiosity, community, and responsibility.” – Ryan Harvey, Senior Architect, BIG