A former power plant and toxic site in Connecticut to become a 125-acre waterfront park

Designed by BIG and SCAPE, the $410 million Manresa Wilds project will turn the 1960-plant into a community hub while restoring forests and coastal habitats.
By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor
May 5, 2026
3 min read
Add Us On Google
Image courtesy Pixelflakes
Image courtesy Pixelflakes

The 3.5-acre Community Lawn serves as the green heart of Manresa Wilds, framed by meadow edges and forested areas with terraced seating, shaded hangouts, and places for visitors to gather. Image courtesy Pixelflakes

In Norwalk, Conn., a former power plant and a toxic, inaccessible site will be transformed into Manresa Wilds, a 125-acre waterfront park. Architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and landscape architecture firm SCAPE recently unveiled their final design for the $410 million project.

Built in 1960, the power plant will become a 200,000-sf, year-round community hub for flexible programming. The plant’s original machinery will be preserved and placed throughout the building and landscape.

The plant’s 88,000-sf Turbine Hall will serve as a civic gathering space. The 20,000-sf Administrative Building will host a cafe and restaurant opening onto a terrace. The Smokestack will be wrapped by a two-story, 4,000-sf pavilion. And the 120,000-sf Boiler Building will be activated by educational partners at a later stage.

Manresa Wilds also will restore forests and coastal habitats, including 13 acres of native wetlands. Over 15 miles of trails will cross Manresa Wilds’ various revitalized habitats: birch forest, native meadow, salt marshes, wetland, and shoreline.

In addition, the project will unlock access to almost two miles of Connecticut coastline that have been closed off for almost 75 years. The project will provide a public beach, a harbor with kayak access and day-use boat slips, and a series of coves, overlooks, and tidal pools. At the center of Manresa Wilds, a 3.5-acre community lawn will connect the park’s interior to Long Island Sound.

The climate-resilient design features preserved marshes and kayak terraces that absorb wave energy, a headland and beach buffer to shield the coast, and a wild jetty to protect the harbor and inland site.

Manresa Island Corp., the nonprofit formed to build and operate Manresa Wilds, plans to debut the project’s first phase, the Northern Forest, in spring 2027. The 28-acre landscape will feature renewed woodland, open grasslands, and more than a mile of trails connecting three forests for exploration, gatherings, and outdoor education.

Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG
Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG

Anchored by the reimagined power plant, Manresa Wilds will unlock public access to nearly two miles of Norwalk’s coastline, providing people of all ages and abilities with new places to gather, learn, and play. Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG

Since announcing the project in October 2024, Manresa Island Corp. gathered community input from over 3,000 individuals. As a result of community feedback, the design team made the following adjustments to its final plan:

  • Expanded natural areas and habitat protection by 30%
  • Reduced hardscape and active features throughout the site by half
  • Placed the most active amenities on the site’s southern end
  • Reduced the footprint of active programming
  • Improved transit infrastructure with bus drop-off areas, pier activation, and parking
  • Minimized lighting and reduced water features to protect wildlife and neighboring residents
Site plan courtesy SCAPE
Manresa Wilds transforms the 125-acre former industrial site into a resilient, publicly accessible waterfront park. Site plan courtesy SCAPE

Shaped by thousands of community voices, the final vision for Manresa Wilds transforms the 125-acre former industrial site into a resilient, publicly accessible waterfront park. Site plan courtesy SCAPE

Courtesy Manresa Island Corp.
Courtesy Manresa Island Corp.

Courtesy Manresa Island Corp.

Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG
Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG

The final vision removes boardwalk interventions from the Western Marsh entirely, prioritizing the protection and revitalization of sensitive wetland habitats. Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG

Image courtesy BIG
Image courtesy BIG

The Turbine Hall forms the monumental core of the building complex. Image courtesy BIG

Image courtesy BIG
Image courtesy BIG

The Turbine Hall will be reimagined across multiple levels—a soaring main hall for events of all scales, with flexible mezzanine levels above and arrival amenities and exhibition space below. Image courtesy BIG

Image courtesy BIG
Image courtesy BIG

Two lower levels welcome visitors with arrival amenities, additional programming space for events and community gatherings, and exhibition areas telling the story of the site's transformation. Image courtesy BIG  

Image courtesy BIG
Image courtesy BIG

Once humming with machinery, the soaring main hall will be reimagined as a dramatic civic gathering space capable of hosting events and activations. Image courtesy BIG

Image courtesy Pixelflakes
Image courtesy Pixelflakes

The 120,000-square-foot Boiler Building, to be activated by educational partners at a later phase of the power plant’s adaptation, will include dedicated spaces for community, research, and educational programming. Image courtesy Pixelflakes  

Image courtesy BIG
Image courtesy BIG

A striking two-story pavilion, wrapped around the preserved smokestack, supports the adjacent pool and public beach with locker rooms, food service, and a rooftop sundeck offering panoramic views of Long Island Sound. Image courtesy BIG

Image courtesy BIG
Image courtesy BIG

Flexible spaces could support hands-on research, coastal ecology education, and long-term stewardship of Long Island Sound. Image courtesy BIG

Image courtesy Pixelflakes
Image courtesy Pixelflakes

The vision for the Boiler Building includes a lush, verdant indoor environment—a vertical park space for visitors of all ages. Image courtesy Pixelflakes  

Image courtesy BIG
Image courtesy BIG

Outside the power plant, a community pool offers a unique swimming experience framed by the power plant's industrial heritage and the coastal landscape beyond. Image courtesy BIG

Image courtesy SCAPE
Image courtesy SCAPE

The Scrub Scramble connects the beach to the power plant, offering coastal views and critical habitat for pollinator species and shorebirds. Image courtesy SCAPE

Image courtesy BIG
Image courtesy BIG

The 20,000-square-foot Administrative Building features a park-level café and restaurant that open onto a generous terrace for gathering—event support space and breakout rooms above offer views across Long Island Sound. Image courtesy BIG

Image courtesy BIG
Image courtesy BIG

A glimpse into the Boiler Building, a future phase of the building’s adaptive reuse. Image courtesy BIG

Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG
Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG

At the core of Manresa Wilds, the 1960-built power plant will be adaptively reused as a year-round community hub for learning and discovery—transforming fossil fuel infrastructure into social infrastructure. Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG

Image courtesy BIG
Image courtesy BIG

BIG's expert adaptation reimagines the building's monumental interiors as over 200,000 square feet of vibrant, flexibly programmed spaces, dramatically reducing the project's carbon footprint while honoring the site's industrial heritage. Image courtesy BIG

Image courtesy Pixelflakes
Image courtesy Pixelflakes

Manresa Wilds will restore public access to a stretch of shoreline that has been closed off for nearly 75 years, offering a new place for swimming, sunbathing, and connection to the water's edge. Image courtesy Pixelflakes

Image courtesy SCAPE
Image courtesy SCAPE

Manresa Wilds is designed to feel welcoming in every season. Image courtesy SCAPE

Image courtesy Pixelflakes
Image courtesy Pixelflakes

A multimodal trail leads visitors from the park's interior to the public beach. Image courtesy Pixelflakes

Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG
Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG

Nature-forward play areas—including a sand lab, fort forest, and play creek—invite visitors of all ages to explore and move freely within the landscape. Image courtesy SCAPE and BIG

Image courtesy SCAPE
Image courtesy SCAPE

The Urban Ecology Campus, adjacent to the Cedar Swap, features outdoor learning spaces that support immersive environmental education and workshops. Image courtesy SCAPE

Image courtesy SCAPE
Image courtesy SCAPE

A layered approach to coastal resilience—including new living shorelines—protects the site from flooding and erosion and offers a replicable model for climate-resilient waterfront design across the region. Image courtesy SCAPE

Image courtesy SCAPE
Image courtesy SCAPE

The one-acre Eco Pocket, part of Manresa Wilds' first phase—the 28-acre Northern Forest opening in Spring 2027—features a topographically diverse meadow with both wet and dry grassland habitats. Image courtesy SCAPE

Image courtesy SCAPE
Image courtesy SCAPE

Serving as a model for similar sites in the region and country, Manresa Wilds transforms a polluted, inaccessible brownfield into a climate-resilient community asset that provides critical coastal protection while expanding public access to Long Island Sound. Image courtesy SCAPE

Courtesy Manresa Island Corp.
Courtesy Manresa Island Corp.

Courtesy Manresa Island Corp.

Courtesy Manresa Island Corp.
Courtesy Manresa Island Corp.

Courtesy Manresa Island Corp.

Courtesy SCAPE
Courtesy SCAPE

Courtesy SCAPE

Sign up for our eNewsletters
Get the latest news and updates

Related

Nine green building and climate organizations launch coalition to green AI data centers
Petrified Forest National Park’s HQ and visitor center undergoes a comprehensive rehabilitation
A careful historic preservation creates a new animal care center in San Francisco
Sponsored