The Trust for Governors Island x Parsons’ Design Workshop: Building Space for Community

PARTNER: The Trust for Governors Island

GOAL: Erect an outdoor community pavilion with configurable seating to serve as a focal point for visitors to Governors Island

APPROACH: A project of the Design Workshop, Parsons’ longstanding design-build unit that provides pro bono architectural and construction services to nonprofits, this initiative enlisted School of Constructed Environments students in a collaborative spring-and-summer studio course. 

FORMAT: Studio collaboration

OUTCOME: Students worked together on The Pagganuck Pavilion, their design for a solar shading shelter that  adds a new iconic visual marker to the island’s landscape. The Pavilion was inspired by the techniques of the Lenape, the Native Americans of the Manhattan region who referred to the island as Pagganuck or “Nut Island” named for its plentiful hickory, oak, and chestnut trees. Its outdoor stools are movable, allowing users to configure seating according to their meeting needs. The previous year, Design Workshops students created the single-story Lab at The Urban Farm, which provides pop-up space for events, workshops, and classes while serving as a resource support for environmental nonprofits working on Governors Island, including Grow NYC, Billion Oyster Project, and Earth Matter’s Compost Learning Center. It is designed to be a model for how New York City can better incorporate sustainability and emerge at the forefront of environmental experimentation and research.