SCAPE: Nestled between the two dancing towers of the American Copper Buildings, First Avenue Water Plaza thoughtfully blends an active civic space, a natural retreat, and a functional water filtration system.
First Avenue Water Plaza was designed to offer visitors varied experiences of water while seamlessly integrating the project’s robust technical and aesthetic demands. The plaza illustrates SCAPE’s commitment to building sustainable, accessible, and innovative public spaces within the New York metro area.
The design responds to several challenges that were intrinsic to the site. Steps from the East River, the plaza needed to help the neighborhood manage storm impacts while appreciating the waterfront views. It needed to create a verdant respite for residents while managing the exhaust and noise from nearby FDR Drive. It had to support plant life and drainage above an underground parking structure. And finally, it needed to feel like a welcoming, playful gathering space for the neighborhood.
The resulting plaza is layered with subtle solutions woven into its beauty. Each element of the design is multi-functional, helping the neighborhood adapt to a changing climate while enriching daily life.
The landscape radiates from an interactive central scrim fountain, a shimmering plane of water that mitigates the noise of the highway, cools the plaza, covers underground stormwater retention infrastructure, and draws in visitors.
Layered water management system
The plaza is activated by a layered water collection system that manages multiple types of inundation to reduce CSO events and slow stormwater discharge in peak rain events.
A series of rock-lined swales enclose the perimeter with trees and perennials. In heavy rain, these swales couple with an underground retention system beneath the plaza and parking garage to capture and hold water before gradually diverting it to the East River.
At the surface, the swales host habitats for birds and insects, collect stormwater run-off, and provide shade, punctuated by zones of ample seating and small-scale gathering spaces. Sloped planting beds, large bioswales, and a salt-tolerant plant palette create a resilient perimeter around the plaza that provides a sense of enclosure and respite from the busy urban environment. Limestone hexagonal pavers form a tessellation pattern across the plaza, punctured by custom Corten steel tree grates, while natural materials are used throughout to soften the edges of the surrounding city.
Banquette benches provide space for lounging, informal gathering, and group conversation. Made of wood and perforated Corten steel, the benches complement the façade of the surrounding American Copper Buildings and activate the plaza in the evening hours through a playful lighting pattern.
The plaza material palette expands into the streetscape along 35th and 36th streets, creating an active and lush public realm that covers an underground parking structure. The resulting site helps protect the building from stormwater and coastal flooding threats, while giving more space for relaxation and play to neighbors, birds, and insects.
Data
Landscape Architecture: SCAPE
Other designers involved in the design of landscape:
SHoP Architects, Architecture
AKRF, Environmental / Civil Engineering
Pine and Swallow, Environmental / Ecological Consultant
Streetlife, Site Furnishings
Photo credits: Ty Cole & Courtesy of SCAPE
