The much-anticipated ballpark for the Houston Astros, which opened in 2000, includes approximately 42,000 seats, a retractable roof, an attached micro-brewery, and tour bus drop off. SWA, along with Rey de la Reza Architects, designed the entire ballpark site from the building to the curb, including the remodeling of historic Union Station, now part of the stadium.
Landscape features include “The Wedge,” a sloped turf panel used to imitate the scale of Union Station at the other side of the site (also a future development site) and a great lawn, positioned between Union Station and The Wedge, which may be used as a turf farm for the field. Entry pavilions at the terminus corridors of two downtown streets, were constructed to resemble train sheds of the past, and provide shade and scale to define the courtyard spaces. Special paving, historical site lighting, street trees and seating will help create a strong pedestrian atmosphere at the street level.
2018 Winter Olympic Nordic Events Venues
SWA’s master plan for the three Nordic Events venues—the Ski Jumping, Cross Country Skiing, and Biathlon stadia and courses—honors the natural beauty of a spectacular Olympic Winter Games landscape as never before. The venues were originally slated to be located in separate valleys, requiring athletes and spectators to travel from site to site. But in PyeongCh...
Nanjing International Youth Cultural Centre
SWA was retained to design the landscape of this mixed-use development collaboratively with Zaha Hadid Architects. It contains performing arts, hotel, residential, office and retail functions. Located adjacent to SWA’s Nanjing Youth Olympic Park, the design strives to merge architecture, the park landscape, and people at this iconic focal point. Landform...
Heritage Field at Macombs Dam Park
Built in the footprint of the classic Yankee Stadium, Macombs Dam Park ensemble consists of a variety of lush, contemporary green spaces in which the community can relax, socialize, and play. Heritage Field is perhaps the most highly anticipated piece of this South Bronx miracle, offering some of the city’s greatest places for running, sports, and athletic eve...
Hokkaido Ballpark Master Plan
This project includes a new ballpark for Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, the surrounding landscape, and surrounding future development parcels, in Hokkaido, Japan. Inspired by the stadium’s architecture, which responded to a building type original to Hokkaido, the design incorporates indigenous landscape features, including a 100-year forest and a ravine, while ...