Wantagh, New York, USA
On Jones Beach, sun, wind, and waves come together to create a beautiful and diverse environment that supports hundreds of species. This coastal landscape is also a laboratory for understanding the power of nature—how energy flows through the natural world—and the nature of energy.
nARCHITECTS creates an energy and nature center that become laboratory for understanding the power of nature. The building’s wave-like profile, signaling the sloping ceiling of gallery spaces within, conveys waves in both energy and nature.
The Jones Beach Energy & Nature Center was commissioned by New York State Parks (NYSPRHP), in partnership with local utility companies PSEG Long Island and LIP.
At 330’ in length, the linear one-story building rises from foundations belonging to a previous 1960s bathhouse, extended on either side to accommodate the Center’s educational program.
As a result of resiliency measures, the building perches above the horizon, providing immersive views of the dunes and Atlantic Ocean to its South. Future visitors may one day glimpse the vast offshore Empire Wind Project far out at sea.
A newly constructed landscape, by Starr Whitehouse, reclaimed from 12 acres of demolished concrete parking, surrounds the building’s other sides with native plant species, immersing it in an expanding natural environment.
Organized around a series of interior volumes that house offices, support spaces, and classrooms, a continuous exhibition space flows from gallery to gallery, spilling out onto a perimeter shaded canopy and amphitheater.
As an example of integration between architecture, landscape, ecology, engineering, and exhibition content, the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center provides a public laboratory for learning about how feats of human engineering and forces of nature intertwine and overlap.
Surrounded by on all sides by a shading canopy, the building’s 700 feet of perimeter provides an armature for expanded programming and unforeseen events.
Galleries feature extensive glazing, including clerestory windows.
As a result, the interior is luminous and visually connected to its stunning natural site, eschewing the separation between interior and exterior typical of many museums.
The building’s wave- like profile, signaling the sloping ceilings of the gallery spaces within, conveys waves in both energy and nature.
Conceived as an incubator for future environmental leadership, the Center was designed to the highest standards of accessibility and inclusivity, from building architecture to exhibit design.
The galleries feature Spanish and Braille text translations, as well as tactile elements that engage visitors of various ages and abilities. A suite of free, inclusive audio guides in English, Spanish, Chinese, and American Sign Language are available via web application at the Center.
Architects: nARCHITECTS
Design Team: Eric Bunge, Mimi Hoang, Amanda Morgan, Laura Buck, Matthew Sikora, Jason Kim
Isabel Sarasa, David Mora, Paul Mok, Michelle Lin, and Sarah Bernard
Client: NYS Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Long Island Power Authority,
NYPA, and NYSERDA
Landscape Architects: Starr Whitehoue
Photographers: Michael Moran
