Let me preface this post by saying that the renderings below may be old news—I’m pretty sure I’ve never posted them, however, so that’s something. I love renderings: They’re such an idealized vision of life, and they help those of us not involved in the project to put up with the construction—in this case, of the Asphalt Green community center being built in north Battery Park City.

I came across this first batch on the website for Hanrahan Meyers Architects, which had this to say: “The Digital Water Pavilion (Battery Park City Community Center) is a new 55,000 square foot building conceived as a ‘built landscape’ situated at the base of two new residential towers in Battery Park City’s North Neighborhood. The primary architectural feature of the new Center is a curving, 550-foot long glass arcade wall facing West Street immediately north of Ground Zero. The arcade wall will feature a patterned interpretation of a composition, ‘WATER’, commissioned from New York City composer Michael Schumacher. The glass wall sits opposite two swimming pools and a gymnasium inside the building and two ballfields and a soccer field outside the building. A new public promenade follows the curve of the arcade adjacent to the ballfields, allowing public passage north to south from Murray to Warren Streets and providing viewing and access to the fields themselves. The arcade is opened in three locations as public courtyards where ‘WATER’ will be continuously played at low volume and park-goers can find shade and public facilities. The courtyards also accommodate entrances into the Community Center and provide stair access from the ballfields up to the Ballfield Terrace overlooking the fields. The 16,000 square foot Terrace, designed by SCAPE landscape architects, features a similar pattern of dots and lines, where the compositional strategy of ‘WATER’ is written into the paving pattern using polished and unpolished bluestone tiles. Other program areas in the Community Center include a gymnasium, dance studios, a state-of-the-art theater, and various classrooms on a second floor. The Community Center will have a Platinum LEED rating.”

Arcade view looking south

Detail: final frit pattern

Night view

Arcade view looking north

Entry lobby

View of ballpark promenade from inside the Community Center

Swimming pool

Gymnasium

South courtyard: dance studio at night

Bird's eye view of plaza and arcade

Bird's eye view #2 of plaza and arcade

And the ones below are from SCAPE, the landscape designers. The accompanying text: “The Battery Park City Community Center landscape project involves green design principles, intensive community process, universal accessibility, and the design of an outdoor terrace that will serve 2 residential towers and enhance community center programming. […] An intimate gathering area, a ‘green lobby’ towards the neighborhood and North End Avenue, and an iconic ‘lawn egg’ provide community amenities and a distinct identity for the site. In this project, we have incorporated green roof technology and innovative landscape-on-structure strategies.”

Finally, Asphalt Green Battery Park City’s website has a list of facilities etc.:

Facility Features
• 25-yard lap pool and a warm-water teaching/exercise pool
• Fitness center with state-of-the-art cardio and strength equipment
• Gymnasium equipped for basketball, indoor soccer, and other sports
• 6 multi-purpose studios and classrooms
• Culinary center and test kitchen for classes and other activities
• 156-seat theater for lectures, film screenings, and other performances
• Coffee/juice bar accessible by the public

Member Benefits
• Individual & family memberships available
• Members-only lap swim times
• Free water exercise classes like Aqua Aerobics & Deep-Water Running
• Free group exercise classes like Zumba & Urban Rebounding
• Open pool & gym recreational times
• Drop-in babysitting services while you exercise
• Preferred rates on classes, programs, & events
• Preferred rates on personal training & small group training
• Priority registration for classes, programs, & events

Adult Activities
• Lap swimming in 25-yard pool
• Fully-equipped Fitness Center
• Water exercise classes
• Group exercise classes
• Masters swim team
• Swimming Classes
• Indoor sports leagues
• Triathlon training & team
• Martial arts classes
• Cultural events & classes

Youth Activities
• Competitive swim team
• Swimming classes
• Indoor basketball classes & team
• Indoor soccer classes
• Pre-school sports & gymnastics classes
• Lifeguard training
• Martial arts classes
• Private lessons
• Birthday parties
• Summer & holiday day camps