By Forum Staff
The Alley Pond Environmental Center (APEC) held a grand opening ribbon-cutting celebration to welcome visitors to its new $28 million building, marking a significant milestone in the organization’s commitment to provide inspiring environmental education and year-round community engagement.
“Today marks a pivotal moment in our journey at the Alley Pond Environmental Center as we proudly unveil our new state-of-the-art facility,” said APEC Executive Director Irene V. Scheid.
Added APEC Board President Michael Agnello, “This center is more than bricks and mortar; it’s a platform for inspiration, education, and positive change.”
Since its founding in 1972, APEC has been dedicated to educating guests about the importance of wetlands and the preservation of Alley Pond Park, the second largest park in Queens, which spans 635 acres of forests, meadows, ponds, and fresh and saltwater marshes and is home to more than 300 species of birds and other wildlife. APEC serves up to 85,000 people annually, most of them school children.
For four decades, APEC was located on Northern Boulevard in a building that previously housed an outdoor furniture store abutting Alley Pond Park. The nonprofit outgrew the space and broke ground on the new facility in early 2020. Designed in collaboration with the with New Parks, APEC educators, Board members, and staff, the new building reflects APEC’s mission of education and environmental stewardship.
With its organic green brick wall and dramatic sloping roof, the new Alley Pond Environmental Center offers an innovative and immersive learning experience to more than 50,000 students a year and a new gateway to one of the most beautiful and expansive wetland ecosystems in New York City.
The building’s location – at 229-10 Northern Blvd. in Douglaston – minimizes the impact on wetlands and existing trees. Among the features of the new building:
- The ground floor is elevated to resist flooding and the faceted glazed brick wall creates a barrier to sound from noisy Northern Boulevard and, depending on the light, evokes animal scales or lichen.
- The large roof slopes to capture rainwater while creating a lofty and sheltered space toward the park—connecting students and visitors to the adjacent forest and wetlands. The captured rainwater is used for irrigation of plantings and for flushing toilets.
- APEC’s famous animal room, traditionally the main attraction, is open to the entry lobby, where animals welcome visitors as they step inside. The room features reptiles, birds, rabbits, chinchillas and many more.
- Bright and flexible classroom spaces connect students to nature trails and extend outdoors, featuring walls that open to create a single space for events.
- Exterior instructional space includes a sheltered observation deck and stepped seating under the tree canopy.
In addition to achieving sustainability to LEED gold standards, the building doubles as a teaching tool. Mechanical and environmental systems are exposed so educators can share the building’s sustainable features with students and visitors:
- Toilets flushed with rainwater, a geothermal system that takes energy from the ground to heat and cool the building, light-diffusing windows and skylights that provide daylighting and natural ventilation.
- Large windows in the mechanical room further display the building’s inner workings.
- Warm floors create cozy learning spaces, and diffused daylight and sound-absorbent ceilings offer a calming environment.
- In the landscape, native planting in parking lot bioswales cleans rainwater runoff and keeps it from inundating the city sewer.
