Net-Zero Shipping Container Energy Center Opens at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Not only is <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/listing/brooklyn-bridge-park/" target="_blank">Brooklyn Bridge Park</a> one of the most sustainable parks in the world, but it is now home to New York's only net-zero educational center. Donated by the <a href="http://www.beautifulearthgroup.com/mainsite/index.html" target="_blank">Beautiful Earth Group</a> and designed by <a href="http://www.gensler.com/" target="_blank">Gensler</a>, the small off-grid complex made from three used shipping containers is called the <a href="http://www.nycse.org/index.html" target="_blank">New York Center for Sustainable Energy</a> and opened in Pier 1 last month. The <a href="http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/" target="_blank">Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservatory</a> uses the center as its base for the dozens of educational programs and classes that it offers, and it houses an <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/nycs-first-solar-powered-ev-charging-station-to-open-at-brooklyn-bridge-park/" target="_blank">EV charging station</a> for the small park maintenance vehicles. The center is a fantastic example of sustainable architecture, and it's also an important learning resource for the millions of students in the city. Kara Gilmour, Director of <a href="http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/go/programs-/-events/educational-programming" target="_blank">Education at the park</a>, recently gave us a tour of the center -- hit the jump for a look inside!

Nearly every piece used to construct the center is seeing its second life, and only one container needed to be added to the original structure that the Beautiful Earth Group donated.

The 40' foot long shipping containers and windows are all recycled, and the steel doors and awnings were cut out from the containers themselves.

The 5.6kw <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/solar-power" target="_blank">solar array</a> mounted on top of the center powers the entire place and consists of your standard market solar technology. The array's base is constructed from simple metal fencing materials, making it a design that's easy to replicate.

When Beautiful Earth Group <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/nycs-first-solar-powered-ev-charging-station-to-open-at-brooklyn-bridge-park/" target="_blank">originally created the charging station</a> for its own vehicles, they wanted to create a structured that could be easily replicated and moved anywhere. As such, nothing in the design is custom made and all of the materials, like metal fencing, are very common.

The classroom portion of the center consists of two of the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/nyc/tag/shipping-containers" target="_blank">shipping containers</a> placed side by side, with the front container opening up to face the park via three large rolldown doors.

Inside is spacious and light filled, with plenty of room for tables and chairs.

The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservatory has hosted classes since the park's inception, but NYSCE is the first indoor base they've ever had.

. A back door opens to a small porch that connects with the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/ev-charging-station/" target="_blank">EV charging station</a>.

In Beautiful Earth Group's original design, the bright green box was on top of the blue EV charging station. The side of the station opens up so the vehicles can drive directly into the container to plug-in.

The energy is stored in this huge standard solar battery pack and the center has never maxed it out or run out of electricity.

The station is equipped with a normal charger that fully charges the vehicle over night or there is an ultra strong charger (the thick orange cord hanging below the charging box) that can juice a car to the max in just one hour.

Beautiful Earth Group uses the station to charge its vehicles.

A row of charging outlets is located along the back of the station, letting the park vehicles just drive right up and plug-in.

The park has been using the charging station since March, when it was first donated to the park.

The day we visited was the perfect bright sunny day for charging the panels.

<a href="http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/go/programs-/-events/educational-programming" target="_blank">Classes</a> range from sustainability tours of the park itself to "Seining: The River Wild," where students wade into the river to catch the sea creatures -- including <a href="http://timeoutnewyorkkids.com/%5Btimeout-url-channel%5D/%5Btimeout-url-section%5D/152305/a-seahorse-caught-in-the-east-river-while-seining" target="_blank">seahorses</a>! -- living in the East River.

Right after our tour, Gilmour was taking a group into this marsh to clear out debris. Gilmour says the classes are an awe-inspiring experience for the kids, most of whom have no idea that such amazing natural habitats exist in the city.