Following SWA’s development of a 2013 master plan for a new town center adjacent to the existing Brentwood Shopping Mall, the firm was enlisted to design the project’s public realm and expand its role as an integrated, sustainable, urban community. With key connectivity to main vehicular arteries and a high-speed train line, the new development functions as a major hub for the region, featuring 12 residential towers, extensive new retail, and public spaces, including urban plazas, streetscapes, and public facilities.
A new plaza, in the heart of the north sector, functions as the north terminus for Brentwood Boulevard (the internal artery that cuts through the entire site from south east to north west). The design focuses on creating a continuum of urban landscape spaces, with a particular focus on pedestrian circulation and the establishment of several smaller, more intimate public spaces. Continuity of paving materials and streetscape treatments provide a seamless transition from one area to the other. A new plaza sits at the core of the new development, and ties together the existing mall with the new towers and retail spaces. The project extends the Willingdon Avenue streetscape to the north, providing additional rain gardens and bicycle lanes. Pocket plazas along the edge of Willingdon offer opportunities for small outdoor patios and cafes. A community center, at the north east corner of the site, interfaces with the adjacent neighborhood. A green buffer follows the north edge of the site, allowing pedestrian and bicycle circulation through a meandering path/bike lane. All buildings have roof gardens and additional landscape spaces on the top floors.
Avenida Houston
For many visitors, the George R. Brown Convention Center serves as Downtown Houston’s gateway. Ahead of hosting the Super Bowl, city officials sought to transform the convention center’s uninspiring eight-lane drop-off into a pedestrian plaza for civic enrichment, art, and leisure. SWA took on this ambitious 140,000-square-foot redesign, converting five city b...
Poly Pazhou Mixed-Use
The iconic architecture and riverside context that characterize Poly Pazhou were inspirations in this SWA/SOM collaboration, which also took adjoining development in the burgeoning region into account. Broad, sweeping landscape, featuring diverse local plant species, embraces both the soaring buildings and the Pearl River corridor, extending its spatial charac...
Monet Avenue 2.0 at Victoria Gardens
A decade after completing Victoria Gardens, the owner looked to refresh the project to maintain its relevancy. SWA redesigned a three-block streetscape and plaza along Monet Avenue. The focus is on the next generation of users, with a shopping environment that highlights the social landscape and blurs the lines between retail and recreation. The design scope i...
Pearl River Tower
Pearl River’s 70-story tower reaches a maximum height of 309.4 meters and is an exemplar of self-sustaining, high-performance, environmentally intelligent architecture. The project’s landscape design reinforces the principles of sustainability and zero-energy usage accomplished by the building’s siting, architecture, and engineering. It creates a v...