Houston’s East End is a bifurcated community, with heavy industry brushing up against a vibrant and culturally diverse residential area. Answering residents’ call for more park space, SWA created Buffalo Bayou Bend Nature Park by converting a formerly neglected industrial site into a wetland ecosystem and public green space.
Three interconnected ponds, hosting 10,000 carefully chosen native plants, create a natural filtration system for urban runoff. A solar-powered pump draws water from Buffalo Bayou into a repurposed concrete cistern, initiating its journey through these constructed habitats. As it meanders, the water is cleansed of bacteria, excess nutrients, and toxic materials before returning to its source. An interactive “Water Table” allows visitors to compare the quality of incoming and outgoing flows, making this complex ecological process tangible.
ADA-compliant crushed gravel paths wind through the wetlands, while a small hill formed from excavated material adds topographic interest and offers a vantage point for visitors. Recycled elements throughout pay tribute to the site’s industrial past.
As a node on a 10-mile regional trail network, Buffalo Bend Nature Park addresses the need for open space in this historically underserved area and serves as a model for ecological restoration and education.
Pellier Park
In the heart of downtown San Jose, the first of three new SWA-designed parks celebrates the plum tree and agricultural origins of Silicon Valley. The site is a registered California Historic Landmark and the original nursery of Louis Pellier, known as “ The Prune King’ who introduced the French Prune to the Valley in 1856 and sparked the orchard boom in Calif...
Honggang Park
Nestled between two hills in Shenzhen’s Luohu District, Honggang Park is a green corridor bringing over 80 acres of open space through the city’s dense fabric. Celebrating the site’s stark topography, SWA’s design carefully threads hiking trails along the slopes to minimize ecological disturbance, with stairs providing shortcuts along switchbacks. Altogether, ...
China Beach
China Beach acts as an amphitheater to take in the drama of the San Francisco Golden Gate: the ebb and flow of the wildlife, currents, tides, winds, fog, sun, surf, and marine traffic. Ultimately, this larger landscape and the landscape features of a refreshed beach terrace will be the defining experience for the visitor to China Beach. We are striving to prod...
Alief Park and Neighborhood Center
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Houston was compelled to reassess community preparedness. The 37-acre Alief Center, situated in one of the city’s most culturally diverse areas, addresses longstanding issues of disinvestment and environmental injustice while fostering physical and social resilience.
Elevated above the 100-year floodplain, the...