This 50,000 sf renovation and 10,000 sf expansion of the Olmsted Center Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens provides an opportunity for the use of innovative, pioneering sustainability strategies. The existing facility is a pre-engineered structure specified for the 1964/65 World’s Fair as an administration center, which was later inherited by the Capital Projects Division of the NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation. To achieve a sustainable site that both celebrates the beauty of water systems and works in tandem with extensive flood control strategies, a network of structured and natural features are being implemented.

These include wetland detention areas showcased as rain gardens and a raised water channel system that will convey, treat and exhibit storm water runoff throughout the property. Meanwhile, the new 10,000 sf addition, raised to a height above the FEMA flood plain, celebrates the engineering ingenuity of the 1964 structure with its exposed steel structure that is incorporated into the exterior architecture of the building. Project is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification.