Introducing a New Anchor Institution for the Center for Climate Solutions

In April 2023, fol­low­ing a two-year com­pet­i­tive process led by the Trust for Gov­er­nors Island and the City of New York, The New York Cli­mate Exchange was select­ed as the anchor research and edu­ca­tion­al insti­tu­tion to cre­ate an inno­va­tion dis­trict on Gov­er­nors Island to accel­er­ate equi­table cli­mate solu­tions for cities.

By lever­ag­ing the per­spec­tives of a cross-sec­tor net­work of diverse part­ners and New York City’s glob­al influ­ence, The Exchange engages in cut­ting-edge research, deliv­ers impact­ful edu­ca­tion and train­ing, hosts world-class con­ven­ings, and scales cli­mate tech­nol­o­gy solutions. 

The Exchange is devel­op­ing a state-of-the-art cli­mate cam­pus on Gov­er­nors Island that will bring cli­mate sci­en­tists, edu­ca­tors, entre­pre­neurs, and change­mak­ers under one roof — spark­ing the col­lab­o­ra­tions and break­through ideas we need to build a sus­tain­able future. 

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Renovated Yankee Pier leading toward a new public plaza and new mass timber academic and research buildings at the Exchange. © SOM

The Work

Lead­ing up to the open­ing of their cam­pus, the work of The Exchange will focus on three key areas:

  1. Cli­mate Data: Unlock­ing access to cli­mate data so it’s more use­ful across sec­tors — from improv­ing pub­lic health to dis­as­ter pre­pared­ness to busi­ness forecasting.
  2. Cli­mate Finance: Devel­op­ing inno­v­a­tive finan­cial solu­tions to help city lead­ers invest in com­mu­ni­ty resilience for thriv­ing, healthy communities.
  3. Urban Resilience: Uti­liz­ing Gov­er­nors Island as a liv­ing lab­o­ra­to­ry, The Exchange builds tools, trains lead­ers, and tests solu­tions that make our com­mu­ni­ties stronger, safer, and more pre­pared for cli­mate impacts.

The Phys­i­cal Campus

The Exchange’s cam­pus aims to build on what New York­ers love about Gov­er­nors Island while wel­com­ing them to research, learn, and expe­ri­ence cli­mate solu­tions that will enable NYC and oth­er urban com­mu­ni­ties to thrive.

The over­all project envi­sions 400,000 sq ft of space ded­i­cat­ed to research, edu­ca­tion, and cli­mate inno­va­tion, sur­round­ed by 4 acres of new­ly cre­at­ed pub­lic open space. Sched­uled to break ground in fall 2026, the first con­struc­tion phase encom­pass­es 250,000 sq ft of col­lab­o­ra­tive space, made up of two new mass tim­ber build­ings and a ren­o­va­tion of a por­tion of his­toric Liggett Hall.

Aerial view of The Exchange, showing the iconic forms designed to evoke the dramatic landscapes and hills of Governors Island. Illustrative rendering courtesy The New York Climate Exchange and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

Ground floor labs and exhibition spaces open to the outdoors, inviting visitors to engage with the ongoing work of The Exchange. Illustrative rendering courtesy The New York Climate Exchange and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

The Exchange's design reflects the history of the Island by renovating sections of Liggett Hall for student dormitories and faculty accommodations. Illustrative rendering courtesy The New York Climate Exchange and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

A grand convening hall will host climate events that challenge in-person audiences to listen and learn from one another. Illustrative rendering courtesy The New York Climate Exchange and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

Two new mass timber buildings, topped by a canopy that generates solar energy, will sit just off Yankee Pier. Illustrative rendering courtesy The New York Climate Exchange and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

About Stony Brook University

As one of the nation’s pre­mier research uni­ver­si­ties, Stony Brook Uni­ver­si­ty has been at the fore­front of dis­cov­ery in a num­ber of fields that will be cru­cial in the work of The Exchange. SBU’s School of Marine and Atmos­pher­ic Sci­ences has been a leader in severe storm research, weath­er pre­dic­tion, cli­mate change research, and mit­i­ga­tion efforts. SBU’s Renais­sance School of Med­i­cine con­ducts a broad range of inter­dis­ci­pli­nary research that address­es deter­mi­nants of health and ill­ness and the caus­es of health dis­par­i­ties. SBU’s Advanced Ener­gy Research Cen­ter is a leader in green ener­gy research. The Depart­ment of Ener­gy’s Brookhaven Nation­al Lab­o­ra­to­ry, which SBU man­ages, pur­sues inno­v­a­tive ener­gy research with a focus on effi­cien­cy, con­ser­va­tion, renew­able ener­gy, and nan­otech­nol­o­gy appli­ca­tions for new and nov­el sources of ener­gy. In The Exchange, Stony Brook will col­lab­o­rate with oth­er out­stand­ing aca­d­e­m­ic insti­tu­tions and phil­an­thropic, com­mu­ni­ty, and cor­po­rate part­ners to pool exper­tise, expe­ri­ence, and insights to bring inno­v­a­tive cli­mate solu­tions to market.

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