{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"8000","speed":"1000","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}
{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"8000","speed":"1000","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}

DETAILS

LocationTampa, Flordia, United States
ClientCity of Tampa
Size8 acres

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park has been heralded as Tampa’s missing “here” and the crown jewel in the city’s Riverwalk, a bold urban plan conceived to reactivate the Hillsboro River and downtown Tampa. The master plan sets the park as the district’s focal point, positioning the Riverwalk, museums, and park buildings to the park and the waterfront. The plan boldly called for the removal of an old museum and sprawling parking garage that had denied the city access to its riverfront.

The park’s southern border connects with the renovated Kiley Garden, which had previously been elevated above grade, discouraging public access and enjoyment. A pedestrian bridge now connects both park spaces and gives new meaning to the garden. The Tampa Museum of Art and Glazer Children’s Museum have sprouted culture and family activities at the park, near the Great Lawn, an area surrounded by trees and scaled to accommodate large and small events. The lawn is framed on either end by fountain plazas that can become venues for larger festivals. The design carves into the sloping topography to reveal terraced lawn panels that spill down from the museum terraces and garden promenade. A linear park pavilion with restrooms, offices, a café, a visitor center, and a restaurant with unparalleled river views activates the southern edge.

The interactive louver and mist fountains at either end of the park are designed to capture Tampa’s imagination while cooling its residents. Distinctive fountains, pavement, and pylon lights extend the nighttime draw of citizens to the glowing park. Located along the Riverwalk and taking sculptural cues from the Museum of Art are a contemporary play area and urban dog run. Innovative lawn rafts, timber chairs, concrete loungers, and picnic tables reflect a commitment to 21st-century comforts beyond the conventional bench, drawing enthusiastic crowds to downtown Tampa’s new front lawn.

Related Projects

North Bund Riverside

North Bund Riverside Park, located on a prominent 2.1 km waterfront along Shanghai’s Huangpu River, is the first project of its kind in Shanghai to address contiguous waterfront open space. The goal of the associated international competition was to find innovative solutions to transform a post-industrial waterfront with historic elements into a viable active ...

San Pedro Waterfront Connectivity Plan

Spanning over 460 acres and 8 linear miles of waterfront, the Port of Los Angeles is among the most important pieces of infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere—the largest container port in the U.S., a linchpin for global logistics, and an industrial hub critical to San Pedro and L.A. County at large.

Today, the Port is imagining a more connective, acc...

Hangzhou Grand Canal

For centuries, the Beijing-Hangzhou’s Grand Canal – a staggering 1,000 linear miles which remain the world’s longest man-made waterway – was a lifeline for commerce and communication. The water’s edge was necessary for trade, a logical place to live, and often a driver of innovation.  However, as with many waterfronts globally, it eventually fell victim to the...

Shenzhen Bay

Situated just across the bay from Hong Kong, the city of Shenzhen has transformed from a small fishing town of 30,000 to a booming city of over 10 million people in 40 years – and has grown over 200 times its original size since 1980. Along the way, the character of Shenzhen’s bayfront was radically altered. Over 65 km2 of marsh and shallow bay were filled to ...

Embankment Square

The Embankment Square is located along the east bank of the Huangpu River in Shanghai. The project consists of landscape areas in three office parcels and one waterfront park parcel. The view of the site is remarkable, looking toward the landmark skyscrapers of Lujiazui Financial Center, Nanpu Bridge, the Bund, and the Minsheng CBD.

The design concept c...

Hengqin Island

Hengqin Island, located in Zhuhai, China, is embedded within a unique and beautiful landscape, and is currently being developed for urban growth throughout the region. Taking cues from the surrounding site, SWA’s master plan intends to capture the essence of the place, and pay homage to its most fundamental landscape elements: the sea, valley, and mountains. S...

Hunter's Point South Waterfront Park

Hunter’s Point South Waterfront Park was envisioned as an international model of urban ecology and a world laboratory for innovative sustainable thinking. The project is a collaboration between Thomas Balsley Associates and WEISS/MANFREDI for the open space and park design with ARUP as the prime consultant and infrastructure designer.

What was once a ba...

San Diego Embarcadero

The redevelopment plan for the waterfront and port facilities adjacent to downtown San Diego included translating community and economic requirements into a specific planning program. Emphasis was placed on urban design, circulation and parking, landscaping, environmental planning, and engineering considerations with a set of comprehensive implementation guide...