Last month, officials with Gilbane Building Company announced the start of construction of the new Pier 26 Science Play Area at N Moore Street in Manhattan's Hudson River Park.

“Gilbane is excited to continue its partnership with Hudson River Park Trust by helping to build this imaginative new recreational and educational resource,” said Gilbane's public sector area manager Raquel Diaz in a news release.

The roughly 4,000-square-foot space, designed by Olin, has a marine science theme, and incorporates custom, interactive sculptural elements in the shape of Atlantic sturgeon and shortnose sturgeon - two endangered species which are native to the Hudson River. Plans also call for trees and landscaping, a perimeter seat wall, climbing nets.

The play area, which is described as an outdoor extension of the environmental programming planned for the future Hudson River Estuarium, is set to open in 2023.

The Pier 26 Science Play Area is the fifth such space in Hudson River Park, and is being paid for through a $4-million fundraising campaign by Hudson River Park Friends.