The Aquatic Park and Pier Vision Study is a community-led effort examining new possibilities along San Francisco’s northern waterfront. Prompted by the need to replace the disintegrating Aquatic Park Pier — a historic, curvilinear structure that shelters shoreside water for swimmers and boaters — the Vision Study looks beyond the immediate boundaries of the Maritime National Park to envision ways in which the park and pier can better connect to the rest of the city and to its waterfront neighbor, Fort Mason. The study’s goals are to remediate infrastructure, improve accessibility and connectivity, and enhance visitors’ experience of this special waterfront site.
In partnership with National Parks agencies and community groups, the Vision Study process utilized a wide variety of outreach tools, including a video that employed “cartoon” renderings to encourage engagement from diverse participants. The resulting vision for Aquatic Park is documented in the study and will be used to secure funding, support future partnerships, and guide implementation of the vision.
Riverside Park South
Located on the West Side of Manhattan on the scenic Hudson River shoreline, Riverside Park South is a massive, multiphase project of sweeping ambition and historic scope. Combining new green space, new infrastructure, and the renovation of landmark industrial buildings, the plan – originally devised by Thomas Balsley Associates in 1991 – is an extension of Fre...
Golden Shoal Riverfront Park
Located along Chongqing’s Jialing River, this new linear public park offered unique challenges: a 30-meter annual river fluctuation, steep topography, and low-impact maintenance of a continuous riparian corridor. Adjacent new urban development, with attendant needs for green space, called for a flexible and resilient approach to the park’s landscape and infras...
Ningbo East New Town Civic Plaza
As an extension of the Ningbo East New Town Government Center, this civic plaza extends the geometry and ecology of SWA’s past work in the city. A central civic axis runs from the government buildings to the Dongqian Lake edge, providing a large, flexible gathering/event space adjacent to an expansive lawn as well as sweeping views of the water. Per city plann...
Hangzhou Hubin
West Lake in Hangzhou, China, one of the world’s most romantic places and as familiar an icon as the Great Wall or the Forbidden City, has been designated by the United Nations as one of the World Cultural Heritage Sites. Seven hundred years later, the city that served ancient emperors as a capitol boasts a population of over three million and is still a...