The hudson river discovery center
at cortlandt waterfront park

Location: Verplanck, New York
Client: Town of Cortlandt

Project Background: Upon acquisition of the Park properties in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the Town began a collaborative public planning process to layout a vision for the 30-acre parcel, which became the 1993 Verplanck Waterfront Master Plan aka “the Cavendish Plan”. Many elements of the 1993 plan have been implemented including the reconstruction of the Steamboat Dock, the Broadway Overlook, a public boat launch, a Veterans Memorial, playground, the Verplanck Nature Preserve & Trails and the Broadway Streetscape which connects the Cortlandt Waterfront Park to the center of Verplanck. In 2014, the Town received a $32,000 grant which led to the “2015 Verplanck Waterfront Master Plan”. The 2015 plan seeks to activate a portion of the waterfront park to create opportunities for appropriately scaled economic development, public waterfront access as well as passive/active recreation.

Masterplan Vision: The HRDC will be a stimulating place to learn about the ecology, history, and the special characteristics of this waterfront site. The building will be a three‐story, 15,000 sf boomerang shaped structure with an interior designed with a high level of flexibility to allow for a variety of functions. It will be showcase of sustainability and energy conservation. The building design will aim to achieve a LEED platinum rating, meet the Passive House standard, and achieve goals set by the Living Building Challenge. Brick factories that once dominated the waterfront provide inspiration for the building’s street-facing facades which will incorporate reclaimed bricks and other local materials. The building’s boomerang shape will capitalize on Hudson River views through angled glass walls and a wide terrace facing the river. A lower level plaza immediately adjacent to the river-facing façade of the building will be a plaza-type space for café seating, flexible programming, community events and festivals. The design of the 8-acre site will respects and reflects local ecology, history and culture. Site features, including an open-air amphitheater, demonstration gardens, rain gardens bioswales and sustainably maintained native plantings, enhance the facility programming potential. ADA-compliant paths will maximize universal access throughout the project site and connect with the Town’s pedestrian/ bicycle circulation network. A series of small parking lots to the east of the building’s entrance will serve the building tenants and visitors. The existing parking area southwest of the building will be preserved. The airplane hangars will be refurbished to better serve the Cortlandt Community Rowing Association. Critical to accommodating the rowing association, the site design surrounding the boat storage will be largely open to allow for comfortable maneuvering of long sculls. Temporary food vendors can share the existing parking area during events.