New York City's Central Park is due to receive a significant restoration. The Central Park Conservancy, which manages the park, recently unveiled its plan to improve some of its layout and facilities, including the construction of a new green-roofed recreational building.
The Central Park project has a budget of US$150 million and is centered around demolishing the Lasker Rink. This will allow for a more open and natural landscape and the re-establishment of a watercourse that will flow into the Harlem Meer (lake) and a pathway beside it. A boardwalk will be installed across a series of small islands and a freshwater marsh too.
The project will also involve the construction of a large berm and a new recreational building with a green roof that's designed to blend into the landscape and allows visitors to walk directly atop. The roof will overlook a new replacement pool and ice rink, and be available for hosting gatherings.
Efficient plumbing will be used to minimize water usage, while building materials, such as stone, wood and glass, will be locally sourced. Low-reflectivity "bird safe" glass will be used for the generous glazing, in an attempt to minimize bird collisions. Materials from the old Lasker Rink will be recycled and reused wherever possible and the project is slated for LEED Gold (a green building standard) certification.
"The fundamental premise of the design derives from the restoration’s leading objective: repairing the damaged ecology and hydrology of the site, a goal that filters through every aspect of the project’s commitment to sustainability and the highest standards of environmentally responsible construction practices," says Central Park Conservancy. "By building into the slope to insulate the interior of the pool house, orienting the structure and its overhangs to shade the interior in summer and admit sunlight in winter, and providing 'stack ventilation' through the operable glass facade, the design’s passive climate control minimizes the use of energy for heating and cooling."
The Central Park regeneration project is expected to begin construction in early 2021, with completion slated for 2024. It's led by landscape architect Christopher J. Nolan and architects Susan T. Rodriguez Architecture | Design and Mitchell Giurgol.
Source: Central Park Conservancy
