Tag: Lakeside

Making a Green Park Greener

March 3, 2014

You probably know that the LeFrak Center at Lakeside is a great place to skate, relax and enjoy the scenery; but it’s also environmentally sensitive. The Alliance, working with Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, took careful consideration when designing the project, which was built in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

Sustainability can be found in the project from its design through its construction. More than 84 percent of the construction waste was recycled, preventing more than 420 tons of waste from entering landfills. The LeFrak Center itself incorporates partially recycled and locally sourced materials, as well as paints, sealants, carpets and wood containing zero or very low levels of toxic chemicals. The LeFrak Center’s two green roofs create a natural insulation for the Center, which reduces the amount of energy required to heat and cool the building. To encourage non-automobile transportation, the Center also features a generous amount of bike racks, and will feature bike rentals this spring.

Wastewater is one of the biggest environmental impacts in the operation of a public facility. The LeFrak Center is outfitted with low-flow fixtures that will save over 205,000 gallons of water each year. A cistern recycles rainwater from the Center’s east building green roof, reusing it to water the plants and grass at Lakeside, which reduces runoff in the already overburdened city sewer system. The project also has added three acres of new green space to the Park, while the creation of the White Levy Esplanade and Baier Music Island has introduced new habitats for aquatic species.

c. Paul Martinka

Lakeside Opens for Skating

January 2, 2014

After years of planning, design, and construction, the Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Center at Lakeside opened last month to much celebration.

On December 17, Emily Lloyd, President of the Prospect Park Alliance, welcomed Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Parks Commissioner Veronica White, Borough President Marty Markowitz, the LeFrak family and other officials to the ribbon cutting ceremony unveiling this new urban treasure. The event marked the realization of a dramatic vision for the southeast corner of Prospect Park, which gracefully aligns with Olmsted and Vaux’s grand design of a park for all people. Initiated under the leadership of the Alliance’s founder Tupper Thomas, the 26-acre, $74 million project was the result of a strong partnership between the City, the Alliance and the community. Renowned architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, in collaboration with the Alliance’s acclaimed landscape architect Christian Zimmerman, created an environmentally sensitive structure that seamlessly fits into the Park’s natural splendor.

Amid a light snowfall, guests reflected on Lakeside as a symbol of Brooklyn’s cultural renaissance. The event was as festive as it was ceremonial. Supporters of the project sipped hot chocolate and admired the new Center and its spectacular views of the Lake. The Mayor handed out skates to students from PS 161 and the Brooklyn Academy of Science and the Environment High School, who were the first to glide across the fresh ice. Lloyd recounted the monumental support that brought the project to fruition, and remarked that Lakeside is a true gift for Brooklyn’s posterity. Mayor Bloomberg also recognized the work of the Alliance, and the importance of public-private partnerships in improving the quality of the City’s parks.

In addition to the ribbon cutting ceremony, the Alliance welcomed over 1,300 supporters to the ice for a special Members Preview of the facility on December 19, and also thousands of visitors in its first week of operation.

Have you visited the LeFrak Center at Lakeside? The Alliance now has an Instagram page, share your photos with us at #prospectpark #lakeside