Stretching 35 miles from the mouth of the Houston Ship Channel westward through residential, commercial and institutional developments, Brays Bayou is one of the most important waterways in Harris County, and a critical link in the area’s watershed. The $450-million project was first established in the early 2000s, with the goal of mitigating flood damage. Initially, SWA was charged with increasing the existing channel’s capacity and developing design guidelines for architectural and open space character throughout the corridor.
The initial Brays Greenway Framework identified a broad set of recreational and open-space opportunities for target programs from its mouth at Buffalo Bayou (the Ship Channel) to the Barker Reservoir (George Bush Park) in the west. Comprehensive implementation of program elements eventually led to a vision for the greenway that moved beyond its individual components toward the creation of a cherished regional waterway that also acts as a flood-damage-reduction project, protecting homes, businesses, and institutions. Strategies included channel widening and regional detention basins, which laid the groundwork for recreation improvements within the channel’s right-of-way. SWA’s recommendations encompassed land acquisition strategies, bridge constructions/enhancements, trail construction, landscaping, and other amenities.
SWA worked with a large team of specialists researching funding mechanisms, organizational structures, community coalitions, design concepts, property acquisition, and surplus property, among other strategies. Partners included universities, parks departments, green space advocacy groups, and private companies, with whom SWA worked in concert toward providing access, recreation, and connection for the entire length of the Bayou.
Shunde New City
The Pearl River Delta is the second largest bird migration delta and estuary in Southeast Asia. Preserving and restoring bird and wildlife corridors while also providing regional connectivity, transportation, and development options is at the pinnacle of today’s development challenges. In the Shunde New City Plan, urban development and nature are integra...
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...
Buffalo Bayou Park
This thoroughly renovated, 160-acre public space deploys a vigorous agenda of urban ecological services and improved pedestrian accessibility, with two new bridges connecting surrounding neighborhoods. The design utilizes channel stabilization techniques, enhancing the bayou’s natural meanders and offering increased resiliency against floodwaters while preserv...
Greening Houston’s Freeways
As Houston’s Downtown has developed and expanded over many decades, public green space has been increasingly constrained by several interstate routes: primarily I-59, -45, and -69. These thoroughfares, while essential for commuters, have left little room for workers and nearby residents to enjoy unimpeded access to their locale’s adjacent trailways and bayous,...