The design for the Jones Beach Energy and Nature Center at Jones Beach State Park, Wantagh, N.Y., reflects the center’s main goal of creating a public understanding of the crucial symbiosis between nature and energy in achieving a sustainable future.
Designed for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (NYS OPRHP) and Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) by the lead architect, nArchitects, the center is crafted with a lightweight wood frame, featuring mass timber on the roof with glue-laminated timber (glulam) beams and structural wood decking.
Constructed with a linear footprint on the foundations of a 1960s bathhouse, the 98-m-(320-ft)-long, one-story building embodies inclusivity as a “chalet—a wooden house or cottage with overhanging eaves, typically found in the Swiss Alps—for all.”
Its interior spaces, dedicated to offices, support areas, and classrooms, seamlessly connect to an exterior deck, creating a fluid transition to the expansive site. The building’s distinctive wave-like structure mirrors the undulating ceilings in the gallery spaces, symbolizing the interconnected waves of energy and nature.
Achieving net-zero status and surpassing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s objectives nearly three decades ahead of schedule, the center exemplifies sustainability in both design and function. The building itself, as well as its real-time energy performance, are prominently displayed as part of the permanent exhibition. The building is heated sustainably through geothermal energy.
The project involves repurposing 5.1 ha (2.5 acres) of 1960s concrete surface parking, employing them as subbase for the building and new infrastructure. The expansive landscape, envisioned as a dune restoration initiative with native species, also functions as an outdoor interpretive area. Spanning 576 m2 (6,200 sf), this space showcases pollinator plants and rain garden exhibits, contributing to the immersive experience of the site’s ecosystem and horizon.
The following collaborated with nArchiects on the project:
Landscape designers, Starr Whitehouse Landscape Architects and Planners, PLLC; structural engineer, Silman; civil, environmental, and MEP Engineer, FPM Group, Ltd.; lighting designer, Lumen Architecture, PLLC; exhibition designers, Tactile Studio and AJA Architecture and Planning; and sustainability consultant, Terrapin Bright Green.
