The Battery Playscape is an intentionally flexible framework that supports open-ended play informed by the local ecology. As children traverse the playground’s 1.5 acres, they experience a freeing, plant-filled spaciousness uncommon for many city-dwellers.
© Sahar Coston Hardy | ESTO
The ecological story begins with The Battery’s location at the prow of Manhattan where the Hudson River meets New York Harbor. Created by successive landfills over several centuries, much of the park, including the playground, is low-lying land, vulnerable to storm surges, high winds, and inland flooding. The project tangibly demonstrates how the best practices of resilient design can offer a rich play experience – one that deeply connects children to natural elements and the realities of climate change while expanding their creative capacity.
© Innessa Binenbaum
Impermeable paving visibly directs surface runoff to verdant rain gardens crisscrossed by footbridges, integrating environmental management practices into the very heart of the play experience. Plants play a key role in increasing the site’s resiliency while also fostering visitors’ connection to nature. The landscape design features diverse, seasonal plants that are aromatic and tactile, encouraging closer inspection. Due to flooding risks, specific plants were selected for their durability and high salt tolerance.
© Innessa Binenbaum
Together, the project’s architecture and landscape design instills a sense of stewardship, encouraging locals and the Battery’s many international visitors to envision coastal cities that work with – rather than against – natural forces. For children, playgrounds are an especially apt place for imparting these lessons, since play catalyzes full-sensory, embodied learning processes. This didactic component of the design serves as a complement to the project’s dual focus on water management and playability.
Project Info
Architects: BKSK Architects, Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners
Country: United States, New York
Area: 65340 ft²
Year: 2021
Photographs: Sahar Coston-Hardy | ESTO, Innessa Binenbaum, SITU, Robin Noble-Zolin | BKSK Architects
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial