The New York Climate Exchange, Governor's Island
One of the founding members of the consortium, developing the integrated infrastructure concept for the winning proposal to create a new climate campus on Governors Island.
The challenge
URBS was one of the founding members of the consortium assembled by Stony Brook University for the competition to establish a new Center for Climate Solutions on Governors Island. The proposed 400,000-square-foot campus required an infrastructure concept capable of translating its ambitious climate vision into a credible pathway toward delivery. This meant coordinating specialist input across energy, water, waste and transportation at campus scale. Each system needed to support the wider project rather than being planned independently.
The system approach
URBS helped build the project’s technical and industry network by identifying and engaging the engineering, construction and technology partners needed for the consortium. We led the early energy infrastructure concept and acted as technical integrator across the wider sustainability proposal. URBS brought the different infrastructure concepts into a common campus direction, ensuring they could work together and move toward implementation. This work helped establish the technical foundation for the winning proposal. Following the consortium’s selection in 2023, the appointed architecture and engineering team took the concepts forward into detailed design.