New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion
This year marks the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's arrival in the New York Harbor, and while it may not strike everyone as an all-important historical event, it is the impetus for another cause of excitement. With the anniversary comes the announcement that Dutch architect Ben van Berkel of UNStudio will be designing a new outdoor pavilion and marketplace, to be sited at The Battery in Lower Manhattan.
The New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion (plein meaning "platform" in Dutch), as the new structure will be called, will encompass 5,000 square feet in the Peter Minuit Plaza. The form will be almost pinwheel-like when viewed from above, and the facade will contain an LED light system that will become a spectacle of colored lights at night. Inside the pavilion will be seats and tables and a large event space under an undulating roof.
The New Amsterdam Plein & Pavilion has the cultural weight and physical stature of a museum but it's going to be an open, public space with flexible programming and plenty of food. It's intended to be a commemoration of Dutch history in New York and a salute to the design legacy of the Netherlands.
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