Tag: Battery Park City

Battery Park City

Walking through Battery Park City I was struck by how beautiful and modern everything was. From the tall Solaire building to the geological structure at Teardrop Park, they give off a luxurious feel with an ecological friendly twist. It made me think that if we can turn a place like downtown Manhattan into something sustainable and beautiful, we can do anything. Knowing that the water was being recycled and put to good use made the Solaire more important. Small things like pervious pavement and extra greenery might seem small but can contribute a long way in our climate changing environment. Everything we have learned in class from CSOs to CFCs culminates in something like this. Even though the Solaire and Teardrop Park are older now, I still believe that they are representative of what we can achieve in the future. The first time I was there, the 9/11 memorial struck me as wasteful because of the large amount of water flowing down a drain. I had no idea what was really going on beneath the surface. The water is not wasted, rather it is harvested and used for the good of the surrounding areas. From pervious pavement to green infrastructure, there is real progress to be made and it starts in NYC. The balloon flower also plays a part in this progress. It represents some beauty in this system. Sustainable water management doesn’t always have to be a memorial, it can represent creativity and innovation, to see things that look to be light as a balloon but are really heavy steel. If we can learn to think in a new way maybe we can come up with new ideas to help NYC and the rest of the world become more sustainable with their water.

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Trip to Battery Park City

Being a New Yorker, I truly never get tired of walking around the city and my trip to Battery Park City was no different. I really do believe that New York City has the possibility to become substantially more sustainable and Battery Park City has already begun taking the first steps. As I walked around Teardrop Park and passed the Solaire building, I saw the great potential of using the systems already in place in these locations around the city. The Solaire Building’s bright solar panels, along with its reuse of treated black and grey water extended towards the park, all give a potential solution to the extensive CSO issues of our city. If these systems and technology are integrated into other buildings of New York City, we will be so much closer to creating a water integrated system that propels our city towards complete sustainability. Furthermore, I witnessed the large amounts of green space from the park and the streets made of cobblestones in hexagonal shapes around the area of the Solaire, giving the idea of permeable pavements and green infrastructure implementation in large parks, which can aid in the flooding issues that New York may experience more often in our future. If these ideas were implemented all around the city, we may be better prepared for the future effects of climate change. We would also be able to take care of our environment as well as solve the city’s problems on water control. All of these thoughts were racing through my head as I walked around and realized the extent to which Battery Park has demonstrated a proper model to be followed for the future of New York City.

As I continued touring, I came across the shiny red Balloon Flower and the 9/11 Memorial Fountain. The sculpture was surrounded by small fountains of water, all of which have the possibility of using treated black and grey water instead of potable drinking water. The same can be done for the large gallons that fill the Memorial Fountain day by day. Just by implementing water integrated systems into features of artwork in the city, it may be possible to raise more awareness of the need to become more water sustainable. Artwork has the ability to attract people and to deliver a statement or message to those who view and interpret it. If an added message of water sustainability is given through the artwork, then it is possible to attract people to learning about this necessary goal of the city. Artwork and raising awareness of important messages and goals have always worked hand-in-hand, and I do not believe this would be any different.

Battery Park City

Battery Park City on New York’s Downtown is leading the way in integrated water solutions.  Not only does it have LEED certified environmentally friendly  Solaire building, but abundant green space including Teardrop Park, which surrounds The Solaire as well as Rockefeller Park, which is across the street from The Solaire.  Plentiful green spaces make it easier to manage water because instead of rain running off along impervious concrete, as is the case in much of the city, the water can be absorbed into the earth, benefiting the plant life there obviously but also helping people by preventing combined sewer overflows due to the lessened runoff.

The Solaire has done a lot to be a forerunner in green real estate development and there is much to learn from its developers.  The building as a water reuse system onsite which allows for the collection and treatment of grey and black water for drinking and plumbing.  It also has solar panels on some parts of the walls and windows, creating a more sustainable, and likely cheaper, power source for the building. Although it may be difficult to install water treatments in all basements in New York’s apartment buildings, especially considering the age of some of them, but theres still much to be learned from The Solaire’s efforts that can be applied to New York as a whole.  For example, water treatment can be spread across a few buildings where each building does its part.  This would also help to make it more equitable as the equipment is likely expensive and the cost could be spread across multiple buildings.

Another thing New York can learn from Battery Park City’s dedication to sustainability is the abundant green spaces.  So much of the area is dedicated to public parks like Rockefeller and Teardrop parks.  Although it may be hard to convert a lot of New York into parks, smaller parks, dotting the grey concrete landscape of New York with green, can still do a lot to help with water management.