The Playscape realizes that vision through accessible, full body play immersed in planting, natural landforms, and visible water management. Opened in 2021, it is built to flood and recover, part of the embedded climate change narrative. The project’s architecture and landscape architecture instill a sense of environmental responsibility, encouraging locals and the Battery’s many international visitors to envision coastal cities that work with – rather than against – natural forces. The project tangibly demonstrates how the best practices of resilient design can offer a rich play experience – one that deeply connects children to natural elements and the realities of climate change, while expanding their creative capacity.

On the premise that early appreciation for ecological diversity fosters environmental stewardship in adulthood, the Playscape’s five zones are designed around a landscape typology from the Hudson River Valley. The zones represent ways land and water meet in nature – Bluff, Meadow, Riverbed, Marsh, and Dune. Each typology encourages site specific play – standing atop the Bluff to view the harbor, peeking out of the grasses in the Meadow or running up and down the Dunes. Custom play structures encourage interactivity through tall stone slides, multi-level playhouses, and performance space at the Showbox Theater.

The Battery Playscape is a revitalized urban landscape serving as a respite from the urban chaos and an example of the built environment in symbiosis with nature.