The firm Thomas Phifer and Partners has built a red concrete pavilion for the recently completed Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park in Battery Park, at the southern tip of Lower Manhattan. Designed by AECOM, it incorporates strategies to improve flood resilience. Both the pavilion and the park are part of an ambitious waterfront transformation designed to address the challenges of climate change and rising sea levels.

The pavilion with its curved walls sits at one of the park's highest points. From a central entrance, two wings extend to accommodate a restaurant, a classroom, and community spaces, not to mention a rooftop garden with views of New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. Its sculptural presence makes it a focal point of the scenery.

The park rises nearly three meters above its original level, protecting one of New York City's most densely populated areas and redefining infrastructure as a true civic landscape. The elevated park integrates retaining walls, drainage systems, and flood defenses concealed beneath gently sloping landscaped areas. Under the lawns and flowerbeds, a continuous coastal-protection system ensures safety without disrupting public use.

Stormwater management is organized between wet and dry zones: ornamental gardens, infiltration galleries, and reuse cisterns work in conjunction with permeable surfaces. The result is a space where resilience, ecology, and accessibility are clearly integrated.