New Amsterdam Pavilion

On September 9th, I was thrilled to attend the unveiling of the New Amsterdam Pavilion by Ben van Berkel of UNStudio in Battery Park, as well as chat with Ben about his design. When the giant orange cloth was pulled off the structure with help from the lovely Princess Maxima and the Prince of Orange of The Netherlands, it revealed the partially completed pavilion. 

This gorgeous piece of architecture (which has been likened to the petals of a flower or a windmill–SO dutch) was commissioned by the Battery Conservancy and is a gift from The Netherlands to New York, in honor of 400 years of friendship.

Ghislaine with Ben van Berkel

The structure will be used as a place to distribute information about events in New York and even in The Netherlands. It will also serve as a food and drink outlet and have picnic tables around it. The construction of this piece is still a work in progress, but, within a few months, when the interior and the landscaping is complete, I will be back for another visit.

The unveiling was a really lovely intimate gathering and I was touched to get so up close and personal with the Dutch Royals. It’s a fabulous week for Dutch design in New York. Check out ny400.org for more info.

PS. Thanks to Robert Kloos for including me in all these Dutch festivities!