Lasercut cloud-shaped canopy structure casts a dappled shadow next to children playing at the Battery PlayscapeLasercut cloud-shaped canopy structure casts a dappled shadow next to children playing at the Battery Playscape

The Battery Playscape

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Apr 6, 2022
The Battery Playscape, New York City, New York

The climate-resilient Battery Playscape, opened to the public in December 2021, is a place to learn and imagine for children of all ages in Lower Manhattan. At once futuristic in appearance and grounded in local ecology, the new play space is part of the Battery Conservancy’s larger mission to revitalize The Battery, New York City’s oldest continually used public space.

Battery Playscape Custom mirrored cloudsBattery Playscape Custom mirrored clouds
Children play in a mist feature at the Battery Playscape in New York City.Children play in a mist feature at the Battery Playscape in New York City.
Curved custom Maglin benches behind a wooden play structure at the Battery PlayscapeCurved custom Maglin benches behind a wooden play structure at the Battery Playscape
Custom steel perforated panels surround the Battery Playscape in New YorkCustom steel perforated panels surround the Battery Playscape in New York
View of the Battery Playcape play structure with Maglin custom curved benches in the background.View of the Battery Playcape play structure with Maglin custom curved benches in the background.
The Battery Playscape at twilight, showing the granite slides and custom cloud canopiesThe Battery Playscape at twilight, showing the granite slides and custom cloud canopies
View of the Battery Playscape at twilightView of the Battery Playscape at twilight
A child stands at the top of a granite slide with a laser-cut steel cloud canopy overheadA child stands at the top of a granite slide with a laser-cut steel cloud canopy overhead
Close-up of mirrored cloud canopy in the Battery PlayscapeClose-up of mirrored cloud canopy in the Battery Playscape
View of Battery Playscape with steel cloud canopies and curved bench. NYC buildings in the backgroundView of Battery Playscape with steel cloud canopies and curved bench. NYC buildings in the background
Custom curved perforated bench in Battery ParkCustom curved perforated bench in Battery Park

BKSK Architects and Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects & Planners designed the 1.5-acre playground to promote environmental awareness and a sense of stewardship through sustainable, biodiverse, and water-conscious design. Five distinct ecology zones allow children and their caregivers to engage with natural elements and the realities of climate change. The Battery Playscape’s design demonstrates how playspaces in low-lying coastal communities susceptible to storm surges and inland flooding can adapt and work with these realities.

Maglin worked with BKSK Architects, Starr Whitehouse, and the Battery Conservancy to provide custom-built amenities to enhance this extraordinary space, including mirrored shade cloud canopies, laser-cut steel screens, and curved seating. Custom-fabricated steel benches weave through the multi-play environments and 40,000 square feet of gardens, including a selection of salt-tolerant, durable plants. Above the stone crevasses of the Bluff ecology zone stand the Maglin-fabricated mirrored Shade Clouds, which were precisely engineered to withstand high wind speeds.

Client:  The Battery Conservancy
Architects: BKSK Architects
Landscape Architects: Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners
Awards: 2020 ASLA-NY Merit Award

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