The Sturgeons are Ready to Play!

As of yesterday, the Pier 26 Science Playground is officially open! This marine science-themed playground holds two larger-than-life interactive sturgeon fish, one the Atlantic sturgeon and the other a short-nosed sturgeon, where children can climb inside, up and over to explore.

The innovative play space is where the aquatic Hudson River habitat will inspire children both as an extraordinary playscape but also as an educational opportunity. Designed to spark the imagination, this playground will be a valuable resource for learning and play for NYC families. It will also serve as the outdoor extension of the environmental programming at the ecology-focused Pier 26 and the future Hudson River Park Estuarium.

Four essential learning opportunities have been designed into the science play area: (1) reading, (2) visual, (3) kinesthetic, and (4) auditory. These learning experiences are found in a diversity of spaces that represent both the habitat and the anatomy of the sturgeons.

We’re so proud and excited to see the culmination of a decade of hard work on Pier 26, which opened in 2020. The Sturgeon playscape is an integral part of the broader ecologically focused pier. Congratulations to our team and Hudson River Park.

Thank you to MONSTRUM, Hudson River Park, and all of the individuals who made this truly unique and educational playground a reality!

Photos courtesy of Hudson River Park

OLIN Celebrates the Grand Opening of Marie Selby Botanical Gardens!

Alongside our gracious hosts at Selby, as well as so many generous donors, community members, volunteers, and our talented and inspirational design and construction collaborators, OLIN is honored to have had the opportunity to participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the completion of Phase 1 of the Transformational Master Plan.

Though long-beloved for its rejuvenating atmosphere, Selby Gardens was facing challenges of aging infrastructure and constrained capabilities. “Upon our arrival, we found a garden ripe for change, brimming with potential but limited by inadequate facilities to fully support its collections and programs,” said Partner-in-Charge of the project, Richard Roark.

This inaugural phase of its transformation is marked by three key enhancements: a welcoming entrance, world-class facilities inspired by the genius of the environment, and sustainable practices weaved throughout. The Hammock Garden at the entryway, the Glades Grass Garden, and the Lily Pond Basin were all designed to reflect the essence of Florida's nature.

With the realization of Phase 1 expansion and renewal, Selby Gardens goes beyond its mission by setting a standard for climate resilience and environmental stewardship and inviting visitors to engage the essence of Sarasota Florida’s nature and its cultural heritage.

Thank you to Overland Partners, Kimley-Horn, ARUP, LAM Partners, Willis-Smith, and 180 Solar for all of your remarkable work and dedication to the success of this project.

Learn more about the project here.

IN THE PRESS:
The Architect’s Newspaper: https://www.archpaper.com/2024/01/first-phase-master-plan-revamp-marie-selby-botanical-gardens/
Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/d2df37ee-26d4-4c6e-b34c-22e044caacc2

Climate Week at OLIN

Wanting to take a firmer stance on acknowledging the climate impacts of our projects and profession, OLIN Labs used the anchor of Climate Week 2023 to curate a series of internal discussions, with invited guest speakers, to help us take stock of the state of our practice, current trends, and define and discuss our research, practice, and operational objectives for the future.

The Climate Week program was organized around four main topics: Carbon Accounting, Carbon + Communities, Carbon + Biodiversity, and Carbon + Operations. Guest speakers included landscape architects, engineers, and ecologists from academia and practice, coming together in short informal conversations with representatives from OLIN and Labs leadership, and studio members. Following the talks, OLINites were asked to think critically about opportunities for advancing climate goals through our work. Prompts included: What feels possible? What feels impossible? Where can we learn? Where can we advocate? Each evening, select films from the Environmental Film Festival, offered for free through Climate Week NYC, were screened, framing even broader implications of the climate crisis on a national and global scale.

OLIN’s Dan Krall, Rebecca Popowsky and Josh Leaskey discuss Carbon + Operations with Rob Kuper, from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture on September 21 during Climate Week.

Climate Week at OLIN also featured a preview of OLIN Lab’s internal Carbon Audit. Through this initiative, OLIN studio members Moya Sun, RLA, Hangxing Liu, Emily Bunker, Yingfan Jia, and Marzia Micali evaluated four OLIN projects, past and present, through the carbon accounting applications Carbon Conscience and Pathfinder. Their research was presented during Climate Week, presenting specific metrics regarding the climate implications of our work. Their ongoing research will evolve into a “carbon curriculum” for OLINites that will broaden our collective knowledge of the carbon impacts of design decisions at every phase.

OLIN is grateful to current and past Landscape Architecture Foundation fellows Chris Hardy, of Sasaki, Erin Kelly, RLA, and Deb Guenther, of Mithun, in addition to Chris Streb, of Biohabitats, Erik Kiviat, of Hudsonia, Ltd., and Rob Kuper, of Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture for sharing their time and expertise with us, and generating fruitful conversation.

OLIN Labs will carry the energy of this inspiring week forward into future Labs initiatives and research projects. Stay tuned for future updates to follow!