Battery Park, Lower Manhattan

Battery Coastal Resilience Project

Battery Park is one of New York City’s most beloved parks, known for its stunning views, tree-lined canopy, adn lush herbaceous planting. Phyto Studio served as the planting subconsultant to Stantec for a resiliency project which involves raising the waterfront esplanade at Battery Park to protect against rising tides. The Battery currently sits at an elevation that will be submerged as sea levels rise. As part of the project, the wharf at the southern tip of Manhattan will be reconstructed, raising the waterfront esplanade approximately 5 feet above its current elevation to protect the park and nearby community. The raised esplanade will require reconstructing the iconic and beloved Gardens of Remembrance, a Piet Oudolf original design created as a 9/11 memorial. Phyto’s role is to redesign the plantings with resilient, visually exciting, and dynamic herbaceous plantings that honor the original vision of the garden while providing an adaptive palette capable of withstanding future environmental challenges.

Project team: Stantec (lead designer and engineer), New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCED),