JLGA created a distinctive new welcoming entrance to the newly dedicated Jack McManus Field at Park on Roosevelt Island. The program required that the existing, outdated, irregularly shaped structure be salvaged and transformed into an integrated, sustainable, and welcoming presence at the field—incorporating concession stands, public toilets, and park storage. This new structure readily identifies this recreational green space to the Roosevelt Island community.

A separate structure (sitting above the existing structure) supports a green roof, a focal point of an array of sustainable design strategies implemented. The 1,600 SF roof, designed to support plant loads, tips upward like a bird’s wing, creating a strong aesthetic and a counterpoint to the synthetic turf field. The sloped roof hosts an extensive vegetation system featuring a sedum plant mix that sustains all-seasons growth and helps manage stormwater, mitigate air pollution, provide wildlife habitat, foster biodiversity, and reduce urban heat island effects. Our design strategy leveraged the structure’s atypical footprint to express an artful, unique form for this public building that features an asymmetrical green roof

Recycled weathered cladding defines the exterior of the building. New energy-efficient light fixtures brighten the site and new plumbing fixtures reduce water use and waste. The brightly colored underside of the canopy structure is a beacon, leading people to the park.

JLGA collaborated with landscape design firm Abel Bainnson & Butz, who designed the new Jack McManus Field and Park. The design added over 1,300 shrubs, new trees, ornamental grasses, and perennials, which together shape a lush urban oasis.