Background
A decommissioned Shelter Island ferry serves as the canvas for a
pioneering project to create a floating laboratory, classroom and civic space
for New York City’s sixth borough- the New York Harbor. The boat can float from
borough to borough providing schoolchildren with access to the water in order to
learn about the environment, ecology, economy and history of the harbor.
The structure is
large enough for event programming and is intended to become an important
public space for the city.
A glassy double height space holds public exhibition, lab and
educational rooms that open to extended decks at the bow and stern with
portholes below deck for underwater observation and testing. Ver Nautica is designed to reach a large audience of
New Yorkers as a mobile and sustainable educational facility in the city’s blue
network.
DLANDstudio’s design for Ver Nautica uses alternative fuels and clean energy (such as wind and solar power) to generate electricity; Water conservation is taken seriously; grey-water is treated and re-used for on-board plant irrigation, hydroponic food production and a range of composting strategies.
Services are located in a central core for privacy, efficiency
and functionality. The layout facilitates easy conversion from public space to
private space for subsequent development of residential models in the future.
The roof-scape will be productive and habitable with decking, green-roof
planting and solar panels for energy capture. As New York further develops its
varied and storied waterfront, Ver Nautica can serve as a model stewardship,
education and design for marine life.