O2 - Issue 2 - (Page 14)

[freshpicks] IVORY TOWER THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OPENS A SALON IN THE SKY t he New York Academy of Sciences has been a forward-thinker ever since its founding in 1817: Charles Darwin, John James Audobon, and Albert Einstein all were members. So perhaps it’s no surprise that the organization has led the pack once again—this time by being the first tenant to have leased space at the new 7 World Trade Center. The academy held conferences and offered programs in a historic Upper East Side mansion it had inhabited for more than 50 years. But as the organization increased in size, its new president, Ellis Rubenstein, weighed a move. The beloved old building couldn’t easily accommodate the technological and spatial demands of growth, so the Academy can now be found basking in 40,000 square feet of 40th-floor space designed by H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture. “It was a matter of having all the amenities,” says NYAS spokesperson Bill Silberg, “not just having nice chairs, but the equipment that discussion about science requires.” Meeting rooms are of various sizes, seating as many as 300 people, and the newest audio/video technology allows seminars to be recorded for archival or online use. Architect Hugh Hardy explains that the whole interior was designed with intellectual frisson in mind: “The rebirth of the Academy celebrates the exploration of ideas so essential to science. Our goal was to create a varied, open placement of spaces that encourage interaction and innovation.” And even us laypeople will appreciate that the carpet, furniture, and fabrics are largely made of recycled or recyclable material. “Going from an old and historic building to a new space in the location where we are—where it’s about rebirth, commitment, looking ahead, being bold—really aligns with what the academy is about,” Silberg says. That means not forgetting the past, too: A floor-to-ceiling map in the lobby pinpoints the Academy’s original founding place nearby, and a bust of Darwin accents a hallway. “It’s like we’ve come home,” Silberg notes. -Liz Arnold BILBAO IN THE BATTERY FRANK GEHRY THINKS BIG FOR THE WEE ONES The Guggenheim may have scrapped its plans to build a Frank Gehry museum downtown, but the master architect will have another chance to shape Manhattan’s formative minds. The Department of Parks & Recreation has commissioned Gehry to design his first-ever playground. Dubbed Battery Playspace, it will be located at The Battery, the historic park just south of Battery Park City. The new addition—for which the city has already earmarked $4 million—was announced in June at the Battery Conservancy’s annual WaterGazer Gala benefit. And although renderings of Battery Playspace are in the works, several elements of Gehry’s scheme are already in place. One of the Battery’s 25 acres will be devoted to the project, and besides space for fun and games, it will include a comfort station featuring a green roof and planted walls. Starr Whitehouse, a landscape architecture and planning firm collaborating on Battery Playspace, also reports the playground will include a centerpiece Gehry sculpture that rises from the ground and weaves through treetops, adding imagination-provoking topography to the scene. The playground is one more stitch in The Battery’s ongoing extreme makeover, an effort that has yielded completed and upcoming projects like Battery Bosque Gardens, an aquatic-themed carousel designed by Weisz + Yoes Architecture (above), Battery Bikeway, and the restoration and expansion of Castle Clinton. So while Gehry’s child-friendly creation will draw families to the Battery, they’ll stay for any number of agedefying experiences. –David Sokol 14 [ O2GREENMAGAZINE.COM ] http://O2GREENMAGAZINE.COM

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O2 - Issue 2 Contents Letter Freshpicks Itinerary The Hunt Flight O2 Outer Beauty Fuel 4 Thought Health Tech One to Watch Great Outdoors Features Future Focus Musings

O2 - Issue 2

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