East Side Coastal Resiliency | BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group

Developed under the leadership of the NYC Department of Design and Construction (NYCDDC) and designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group, Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects (MNLA), ONE Architecture & Urbanism, AKRF, and residents of the Lower East Side, ESCR is a $1.45 billion coastal protection initiative spanning Montgomery to East 25th Streets. Following the original 2014 BIG U vision for 10 continuous miles of protective park and public realm in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the project is designed to safeguard more than 110,000 New Yorkers from future storms and tidal flooding.

Located within the FEMA 100-year floodplain, ESCR integrates floodwalls, sliding gates, bridging berms, and elevated parkland into an unbroken protective system that shields critical infrastructure - including a major pump station, an electrical substation powering much of Lower Manhattan, and numerous schools and libraries. More than a barrier, ESCR is a model for how infrastructure can double as active and accessible public space - strengthening resilience while enhancing daily life.

Following the completion of ESCR’s first phase in 2024, the coastal redevelopment continues with the reopening of several major sections within East River Park around the Williamsburg Bridge. Elevated an average of 8-9 ft to provide vital flood protection, the park has been infused with 600 new trees and over 21,000 shrubs, grasses, and perennials - strengthening the shoreline and enhancing ecological character. The park also features new basketball and tennis courts, picnic and BBQ areas, a multi-use turf field, grassy lawns, dedicated zones for nature exploration and water play, a new amphitheater, an extended esplanade, and two new pedestrian bridges at Delancey Street and Corlears Hook Park.

EAST SIDE COASTAL RESILIENCY PROJECT FACTS 

Name: East Side Coastal Resiliency

Size: 69,700,000 sq ft

Location: New York, New York, United States

Client: City of New York | NYC Department of Design & Construction

Collaborators: MNLA, ONE Architecture & Urbanism, AKRF & KSE, Arcadis, Jacobs, Hardesty Hanover, Siteworks, Wesler Cohen, Hazen & Sawyer, Pentagram, Hortus Environmental Design, FHI Studio, Starr Whitehouse, James Lima Planning + Development

EAST SIDE COASTAL RESILIENCY BIG TEAM

Partner-in-Charge: Bjarke Ingels, Beat Schenk, Daniel Sundlin, Kai-Uwe Bergmann

Project Director: Jeremy Alain Siegel

Project Manager: Stephanie Hui, Andreas Buettner

Project Architect: Kate Cella

Project Designer: Autumn Visconti, Simon David, Nicole Passarella

Technical Director: Benjamin Caldwell, Margaret Tyrpa

Project Team: Adam Robert Poole, Agnieszka Majkowska, Alejandro Guadarrama, Andreea Vasile Hoxha, Ania Podlaszewska, Aslan Taheri, Athena Morella, Benjamin DiNapoli, Chao-Wei Wesley Chiang, Daniele Pronesti, Deborah Campbell, Douglas Breuer, Douglass Alligood, Emily Bauer, Emmett Walker, Erik Kreider, Fiona Lu, Gabriel Hernandez Solano, Gaurav Sardana, Guillaume Evain, Isela Liu, Jakub Kulisa, James Donaldson, Jamie Maslyn Larson, Jessica Jiang, John Sng, Jonathan Steffen Hein, Jonathan Ong, Jordan Felber, Juan David Ramirez, Juan Diego Perez, Kalina Pilat, Kalliopi Caroline Bouros, Kam Chi Cheng, Kathleen Cella, Kayeon Lee, Kelly Neill, Kurt Nieminen, Lisbet Christensen, Mai Lee, Malcolm Rondell Galang, Manon Otto, Margaret Kim, Mateusz Wieckowski-Gawron, Maxime Le Droupeet, Max Moriyama, Mo Li, Morgan Mangelsen, Nandi Lu, Nasiq Khan, Nicholas Potts, Oliver Siekierka, Robert Ryan Harvey, Ruicong Tang, Sang Ha Jung, Seo Young Shin, Tammy Teng, Taylor Burgess, Taylor Fulton, Taylor Hewett, Terrence Chew, Thomas McMurtrie, Tracy Sodder, Veronica Acosta, Vincenzo Polsinelli, Wells Barber, Will Campion, Yaziel Juarbe, Yixin Li, Ziyu Guo