APEC

Little Neck, USA

Visualization © LSS

Architects: Leroy Street Studio Architecture

Location: Little Neck, USA
Year: 2016

Alley Pond Environmental Center is located at a haphazard urban boundary where a pumping station and major thoroughfare abut the tidal wetlands of Alley Creek. Currently 50,000 DOE students come to APEC each year for an immersive learning experience based on the upland and tidal wetland flora and fauna.

Based on needs defined by the NYC Parks Department and the Alley Pond Environmental Center staff, this new environmental center creates a new campus that expands APEC’s teaching environment both indoors and out. LSS worked with educators and staff to design a building that not only redefines this urban park but that also functions as a teaching tool for young students and park visitors of all ages.

The building will define the edge of the park, buffering highway noise while acting as a gateway. The sloping form will give APEC a much-needed street presence while draining the roof’s storm water to a prominent rain garden. It will also integrate areas to house the center’s live animals, and expose mechanical and environmental systems. Classrooms will be carried out-of-doors under an expansive sheltering roof and act as individual trailheads to the nature walks beyond.

The building will utilize sustainable strategies to achieve a minimum LEED silver rating. This project was awarded the New York City Public Design Commission Award for Excellence in Design.