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Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency - The Battery

Maintaining historical and cultural character while providing flexibility for a changing climate with adaptive design

  • $200M

    Construction Value

  • 25

    Acre Park

  • 54%

    Net Carbon Reduction

  • Lower Manhattan, New York

    Lower Manhattan, New York

Seamlessly integrating critical and resilient infrastructure while preserving iconic views, bountiful flora, and historic features

The Battery in Lower Manhattan is an iconic part of New York City (NYC). With millions of visitors annually, it’s home to extensive gardens, artwork, and the departure point for the Statue of Liberty, among other cultural landmarks.

Given its location on the waterfront, The Battery is susceptible to climate change risks including storm surge and sea level rise. To help preserve and protect this significant site, the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) engaged our team to provide adaptive design to support flexibility and resilience against future climate uncertainty.

Our team established sustainability goals and used the Envision framework to guide our design. We explored opportunities across key themes such as embodied carbon reduction, managing quantity and quality of stormwater, and reducing waste sent to landfills. Notable strategies included reusing site materials, sourcing local and low-carbon materials, and investigating transportation alternatives that reduce emissions and pollutants. This helped achieve a 54 percent net embodied carbon reduction for the project. Additionally, stakeholder engagement played a crucial role and enriched the design, helping preserve existing artwork, architecture, park features, and coveted harbor views.

By preparing for future climate change, this project helps community resilience and supports social, environmental, and economic stability for years to come. From multi-level slips accommodating sea level variations through 2100 to salt-tolerant plantings combating rising urban heat, resiliency is in the details.

At a Glance

Offices
Client
  • NYCEDC
Partners
  • NYC Parks
  • Hunter Roberts Construction Group
Award
Envision™-verified Platinum
News
Project receives Envision Platinum Award from The Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure
Meet Our Team

Greg Sprich, Principal, Civil Engineer

It’s our goal to provide excellent customer service. Our clients can depend on us to listen, communicate, and ultimately deliver a quality product.

Amy Seek, Senior Associate

As public realm designers, we have a special role in nurturing the social life of a city.

Brad Moore, Associate, Sustainable Infrastructure Team Lead

Integrating sustainability principles into the engineering design process can have a lasting positive impact on our communities.
Brad Moore Associate, Sustainable Infrastructure Team Lead Read More

Aaditya Patel, Sustainability Consultant

The unprecedented impacts of climate change are here to stay-we must urgently act to find solutions that have a planet positive impact.

Greg Sprich

Principal, Civil Engineer

Amy Seek

Senior Associate

Brad Moore

Associate, Sustainable Infrastructure Team Lead

Aaditya Patel

Sustainability Consultant

We’re better together

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