On September 25th, 2020, nARCHITECTS celebrated the opening of the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center, born out of a public and private partnership spearheaded by New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. This pioneering building and landscape, and the exhibition that weaves through them, will educate visitors about the ways in which energy use and nature shape each other, pointing towards a carbon neutral future for New York State.
Designed by nARCHITECTS as a “chalet for all”, the building functions as a gateway to the stunning natural environment of Jones Beach West End 2, while educating visitors on how they can become stewards of the environment In meeting NY State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s objectives almost thirty years before its targets, the building will serve as a model for sustainable architecture.
At 330’ in length, the linear one-story building rises from foundations belonging to a previous 1960s bathhouse, extended on either side to accommodate the Center’s educational program. As a result of resiliency measures, the building perches above the horizon, providing stunning views of the dunes and Atlantic Ocean to its South. Future visitors may one day glimpse the vast offshore Empire Wind Project far out at sea. A newly constructed landscape, reclaimed from 12 acres of demolished concrete parking, surrounds the building’s other sides with native plant species, immersing it in an expanding natural environment.
Organized around a series of interior volumes that house offices, support spaces, and classrooms, a continuous exhibition space flows from gallery to gallery, spilling out onto a perimeter shaded canopy and amphitheater. As an example of integration between architecture, landscape, ecology, engineering, and exhibition content, the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center provides a public laboratory for learning about how feats of human engineering and forces of nature intertwine and overlap.
