A consortium of Tampa-based ASD, Rogers Partners Architects+Urban Designers, and Ken Smith Landscape Architect has been announced as winners of the second St. Petersburg Pier redesign competition. Chosen after the city failed to implement Michael Maltzen Architecture’s competition-winning proposal due to strong public opposition, the new winning scheme, "Pier Park" takes a more scaled down (and affordable) approach to redesigning the site's landmark 1970s pier by focusing on public experience rather than architectural intervention.
Read on after the break for more on the $46 million Pier Park proposal.
The concept is based on a series of spaces for “shade, cover, and comfort” that may be adapted over time as venues for various activities that will maximize the site's use. Programs will include a bar and grill, welcome center, a “tilted lawn” to host concerts for up to 4,000 people, "wet" classrooms, an education center, and several gardens, as well as a network of durable floating docks that will ease the transition from pier to water.
"It's where you can go if you have 50 cents or 50 dollars," says landscape architect Ken Smith, commenting on the pier's desire to be a place for everyone.
By integrating the caissons and elevator shafts of the original building, the new plan aims to transform the pier's inverted pyramid into a four-level building topped with a fabric roof that offers air-conditioned lobbies and events spaces on each floor. It will be accessed by a promenade of splash pads, shade and thickets of natural vegetation.
Although Pier Park was chosen by the six-member Pier Selection Committee based on a number of qualifications including project schedule, cost, and public opinion, the design’s fate is dependent upon receiving approval for contract negotiations from the City Council.
News via tampabay.com
