The square and pavilion "New Amsterdam" will appear on the southern tip of Manhattan, in the Battery area ("batteries" - on the fortifications with an artillery battery located there in the 17th and 18th centuries). The authors of the project are the Dutch architects UN Studio, and the funds for its implementation are provided by the Government of the Netherlands.
This year will mark the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the mouth of the Hudson River and the surrounding islands and coastline, where New York is now located, by British navigator Henry Hudson (Hudson, Hudson), acting on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. And now turned into the Battery Park, it was chosen as the site for the construction of the complex because it was there that the first Dutch settlers landed, who later founded New Amsterdam (the city became New York in 1664, when the British captured it).
The area and the pavilion will occupy a space of approx. 450 m2 at the Plaza Peter Mineuyt, named after a Dutch official who united the disparate settlements in Manhattan into a city in 1626. Along with the function of a monument to the historical past and hopes for the future, the structure will serve as a modern recreational space for the surrounding areas.
The plaza will feature a stone-paved platform with walkways engraved with quotes from Russell Shorto's book on the history of Manhattan, The Island at the Center of the World. Benches and tables designed by UN Studio will be installed on the Square, as well as a pavilion, slightly reminiscent of the work of architects for the last Venice Biennale. This "blooming flower" will be equipped with an LED system, which is responsible for the complex lighting system of the building at night.
