New York City Economic Development Corp. and Solar One cut ribbon on environmental education center

Manhattan, NY New York City Economic Development Corp. (NYCEDC) and Solar One, a renewable energy and environmental education non-profit in New York City, cut the ribbon on the new Solar One Environmental Education Center. Located at the north waterfront end of the Stuyvesant Cove public open space, adjacent to the East River, the new center will serve as a model for future urban coastal resiliency, while also creating an immersive, hands-on environmental learning experience for all ages.

This new two-story, 6,400 s/f facility includes classrooms that will be used for STEM education classes, community functions, workshops, and other opportunities. Additionally, Solar One will provide expanded experiences for learning about sustainability, climate change, and resiliency with hands-on activities and demonstrations. With advanced sustainable building engineering and design components such as solar energy generation, battery storage, and flood resistance, the center is a model of resiliency for hurricanes, storm surges, and other potential severe weather conditions.

Breaking ground in fall 2023, the design and construction of the center was managed by NYCEDC on behalf of Solar One. Gilbane Building Company served as the construction manager, and the building’s architect is BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group.

The center will be an education destination for thousands of New Yorkers, including NYC Public School students, by providing a space for Solar One’s K-12 STEM education and field trips as an extension of in-school programming. The center also will deliver professional development to teachers to incorporate climate change curriculum into STEM classes, serve as a site for job fairs, community events, workshops, and other opportunities.

“The new Solar One Environment Education Center is a true embodiment of New York City’s commitment to growing an inclusive green economy sector — a state-of-the-art, renewably constructed center, where local communities can learn about sustainability in an immersive way,” said NYCEDC president and CEO Andrew Kimball. “This project has been years in the making, and NYCEDC is so proud to see it come to life as both a model for modern-day urban coastal resiliency and a place that will inspire the next generation of environmental leaders.”

True to its name, the Solar One Environmental Education Center features advanced sustainable building engineering and design components.

A photovoltaic (PV) solar panels roof array and critical modern-day flood protection. The tilted design of the roof optimizes the solar panel orientation, becoming a learning tool for educational programs on resiliency and sustainability held in the space.

Use of eco-conscious and recyclable materials, including plywood sheathing and timber siding sourced from Forest Stewardship Council-certified forests in North America, thermally modified to enhance longevity, stability, and insect resistance.

The construction also utilized a minimal amount of concrete, only placing it structurally below the flood elevation level before transitioning to light weight steel framing as it rises.

Energy storage will enable the building to be fully resilient. The building will generate energy via a 21kW solar array with battery storage alongside FDR Dr., allowing the building to provide power to nearby New Yorkers in the event of power outages.

The classrooms connect to the Stuyvesant Cove public open space and promenade of connected terraces and gardens, creating an immersive, real-world learning experience right at the edge of the East River.

“The new Solar One Environmental Education Center is itself an impressive model of coastal resiliency and smart design with solar energy generation, battery storage, and flood resistance. The center will educate young New Yorkers, train teachers and help develop New York’s green workforce,” said U.S. senator Chuck Schumer. “From STEM classes to job fairs to hands-on learning, NYCEDC and Solar One created an exciting new space that will benefit the whole community, and I’m proud to have supported its development.”

“The opening of the Solar One Environmental Education Center is the culmination of 20 years of planning, learning and building with one overriding goal in mind: to teach NYC’s youth the power of renewable energy, sustainability, and resiliency,” said Solar One CEO Stephen Levin. “Now more than ever, it is our mission to ensure that future generations have the resources and knowledge to combat climate change and preserve our precious Earth.”

“The long-awaited Solar One Environmental Education Center is an enormous boon for our city’s ability to prepare for climate challenges and to give students a state-of-the-art environmental education. This is an invaluable investment in the green economy,” said Manhattan borough president Mark Levine. I’m proud that my office helped fund a project that will simultaneously advance urban coastal resiliency and hands-on STEM learning — I wish a field trip to the Center had been possible when I was a science teacher years ago!”

“Today we celebrate the completion of the S1 Environmental Education Center, a state-of-the-art building that will be a center for learning, innovation, and creativity in the sciences on the East Side,” said NYC councilmember Keith Powers. “The EEC not only provides numerous benefits to the East Side, but will guide the next generation of thinkers in renewable energy and infrastructure. I am proud that Manhattan is home to such a vibrant, forward-thinking organization, and I congratulate them on this milestone.”

“Congratulations to Solar One and NYCEDC’s brand new Environmental Education Center!” said NY state senator Gonzalez. “This is the kind of climate infrastructure I’m so proud our state is committed to investing in. It’s community-centered, publicly funded, and built for a resilient and sustainable future. I look forward to seeing the hands-on climate education and workforce training they’ll provide at this center and the environmentalists whose futures they’ll shape. I’m also thrilled to present additional funding for their work in building climate-proof infrastructure around our most vulnerable communities.”

“The New Solar One Environmental Education Center is a great facility where New Yorkers can learn about the negative changes occurring in our climate and how we can work to reduce them,” said NY state assembly member Harvey Epstein. “We can combat climate change and practice sustainability individually but we also must educate our communities and work together at a larger scale. Thank you to Solar One for your efforts in providing this immersive space, and looking after both our community and the planet.”

“The Solar One Environmental Education Center stands as more than a building, it’s a classroom for the city — a meeting point where architecture, nature, and community converge. Clad in timber and photovoltaic panels, the center’s angled roof acts as both a renewable energy source and a teaching tool,” said BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group senior architect Ryan Harvey. “Inside, flexible classrooms support an immersive, hands-on learning experience for New Yorkers from an elevated position overlooking the East River and Stuyvesant Cove Park. Made possible by the vision and dedication of many, our hope is that this center inspires curiosity, responsibility, and imagination — empowering generations to shape a more sustainable and resilient future together. BIG is honored to bring the project to life as both a model for future urban resilience and a home for curiosity, community, and responsibility.”

“Solar One’s new home was a passion project for us at Gilbane Building,” said Raquel Diaz, vice president and Gilbane Building New York City Business Leader. “Sustainability and resiliency are built into every aspect of this new environmental education center. From its seamless integration into the East River esplanade and greenway, to the advanced construction techniques to safeguard against flooding, to its minimal carbon footprint, we challenged ourselves to deliver a showpiece for climate-ready building. We are so grateful to Solar One, the Economic Development Corporation and B.I.G. Architecture for their vision and partnership.”

The center is a project decades in the making and would not have been possible without current and former elected officials including: NYC council speaker Adrienne Adams, NYC councilmember Keith Powers, former NYC councilmember Dan Garodnick, manhattan borough president Levine, former manhattan borough president and current NYC councilmember Gale Brewer, former manhattan borough president Scott Stringer, NYS senator Brian Kavanagh, NYS senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal, NYS senator Tom Duane, NYS assemblymember Harvey Epstein, and former U.S. rep. Carolyn Maloney.

In addition to $19 million+ in public funding, the project has been supported by philanthropic contributions, private sector donations, and individual contributions.

This project also collaborated with the New York City Department of Education, the New York City Department of Design and Construction, the mayor’s office of Climate and Environmental Justice, the NYC Department of Buildings, and the Department of Youth and Community Development.