One of the first projects from the NYC Department of Design & Construction’s (DDC) new Design-Build Program is nearing completion in the Bronx. This new maintenance and operations building for NYC Parks facilitates the care of Orchard Beach and the greater Pelham Bay Park, doubling as an interagency emergency response center.
Sited on a woodland hilltop overlooking Orchard Beach and the historic Moses-era Beach Pavilion, the Maintenance & Operations Building (M&O) draws its context in new ways. Its siting was designed to minimize critical root zone and sensitive habitat disturbance while offering panoramic views for the grounds. The new facility’s cladding evokes the bi-level material datum and scalloped plan of the historic pavilion.
The building houses administrative and operational functions for beach staff that expand during the summer and contract in the winter months. The facility also supports interagency emergency responses to severe weather events with hurricane-designed construction and full-building generator power. The project includes an approximately 28,000-square-foot maintenance yard, fueling station, ancillary access, and service roads, in addition to a restored woodland habitat.
The successful delivery of this project was the result of the collaborative partnership of nARCHITECTS and Gilbane Building Company. The Orchard Beach M&O Building was delivered within budget and in less than half of the typical design-bid-build construction time for comparable NYC DDC projects, establishing a new model for delivering city projects. The team is closing out final project details, and its final completion is anticipated soon.
The project received a 2024 Public Design Commission (PDC) Award.
