The $700 million project began with a rezoning proposal in 2020 by the Trust for Governors Island and renderings by WXY architecture + urban design. After a two-year, com­pet­i­tive request for proposal process, The New York Climate Exchange, a cross-sec­tor con­sor­tium led by Stony Brook University in partnership with Boston Consulting Group, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Pace University, Pratt Institute, the University of Washington, IBM, and Good Old Lower East Side (GOLES) was chosen from four finalist teams to anchor the project. SOM joined them soon after in 2023.

The project seeks to place New York City at the forefront of the nation’s climate research, education, and jobs while enhancing the exist­ing nat­ur­al, cul­tur­al, and edu­ca­tion­al resources on Gov­er­nor’s Island.