Hudson River Park Estuarium

The Hudson River Park Estuarium, located between Piers 25 and 26 in one of New York City’s most heavily visited parks, will play a crucial role in engaging the public with the ecological health of the Hudson River estuary. As the design architect, EHDD is collaborating with local firm Sage and Coombe to create a permanent, year-round venue for hands-on educational programs; relocating the Hudson River Park’s WetLab while making something new and exciting, full of surprise and delight. 

Designed to be a place of interaction and learning, rather than a large public aquarium or tourist attraction, the new 10,000-sf facility will include flexible exhibit space with aquatic tanks and touch pools, classroom space, a micro lab for scientific monitoring of the river, and a welcoming entryway that doubles as a covered outdoor classroom space. Interpretive exhibits and interactive classrooms will engage students and visitors, fostering a deeper understanding of the estuary’s ecological importance and discovery of the surprising animals that depend on the Hudson estuary’s dynamic habitats. A flow-through river water system will draw water from the estuary to maintain live specimens from the river ecosystem for public display and educational purposes.  

Sustainable buildings and river stewardship go hand-in-hand. EHDD’s design addresses the unique challenges of this sensitive riverside setting by integrating advanced flood protection measures and sustainability features. The all-electric, mass-timber facility will incorporate reinforced walls and movable barriers to withstand the flooding from rising sea levels, ensuring the building’s resilience against climate change.