See How Governors Island Could Be Reshaped By New Climate Center

NEW YORK CITY — A trio of proposals unveiled Wednesday show how Governors Island could soon be reshaped by a proposed climate hub.

The three finalists' designs released by Mayor Eric Adams and the Trust For Governors Island show sprawling research buildings, docks and other facilities along the 172-acre public island's shore.

A winner for the proposed Climate Solutions Center is expected to be selected in 2023, officials said.

Adams said the hub will be tasked with studying climate change and grow the city's "green economy."

“These finalist proposals reflect our bold vision for a climate hub that will train and employ the next generation of climate experts, not only creating economic opportunity for New Yorkers but also positioning us at the cutting edge of critical research and at the front of the line to benefit from the big ideas that will emerge from here," he said in a statement.

Plans to build a climate change research center on Governors Island sprang up during former Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration.

As momentum gathered on the project — which officials project will create 7,000 permanent jobs and nearly $1 billion in economic impact — Adams' administration asked for proposals for the center in April.

All three finalists were from university-led teams, officials said, although they anonymized the proposals because of an ongoing competitive procurement process.

The teams, as summarized by information from City Hall, are:

• Coastal Cities Impact Team, led by Northeastern University, in partnership with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Fordham University, Cooper Union, Manhattan College, Johns Hopkins University, Jackson State University, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, University de Los Andes, Pontifica University Catolica de Chile, Imperial College London, Ben-Gurion University, University of Ghana, Ashesi University, University of Tokyo, and additional non-profit and on-Island partners;

• New York Climate Exchange, led by Stony Brook University, in partnership with International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), Georgia Institute of Technology, Pace University, Pratt Institute, University of Washington, Duke University, Moody’s Corporation, Rochester Institute of Technology, State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime College, Oxford University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, URBS Systems, General Electric (GE), and additional business, nonprofit, and on-Island partners; and

• New York Coastal Climate Center, led by the City University of New York and the New School, in partnership with Barnard College, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Columbia University, Cooper Union, New York University, University at Albany (SUNY), Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty, and additional nonprofit and on-Island partners.

City officials will hold community briefings on the proposals on Wednesday and Nov. 14. People can RSVP online.

More details on the proposals and design renders can be found here.