The New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion in New York opens to the public

On May 12th, 2011, the official opening of the Peter Minuit Plaza and the dedication of the New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion took place in Battery Park, New York. The New Amsterdam Plein and Pavilion is a gift from the Netherlands to New York in honour of 400 years of friendship. The project was conceived by the Battery Conservancy to create an extraordinary 'outdoor living room' for spontaneous and scheduled activities, public markets, seating and shade, and a gleaming white, state-of-the-art pavilion for visitor information and delicious locally grown gourmet food. UNStudio's design creates a 5,000 square-foot, carefully programmed space located within Peter Minuit Plaza. This highly sculptural pavilion stands as a gateway to the park and waterfront, with an expressive, undulating roofline and curving walls; a compact building with the authority of a major landmark, evoking a flower opening to its surroundings.

Today the park is the largest and most dynamic public place in Lower Manhattan. The New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion is made possible by a grant from the government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to The Battery Conservancy and was developed in collaboration with the Parks Department and the Department of Transportation. The pavilion was designed by UNStudio, with Handel Architects LLP (New York) serving as associate architect. The Peter Minuit Plaza forms a rare park/transit meeting ground and defines a new era in public space design and construction. It weaves together trees, gardens, art, sculpture, food, and information with ferries, subways, buses, bikes, and pedestrians and forms an iconic, recognizable spot for residents and visitors alike. The new pavilion forms the centerpiece of the plaza.

Project overview