Saint Pete Pier
Saint Pete Pier
St. Petersburg, Florida
In 2011, an international design competition sought to reimagine the St. Pete Pier, a beloved symbol of St. Petersburgh, but one which had devolved into dated architecture and a vehicle and parking-dominated waterfront.
The design team sought to reimagine the Pier not as an object, but as a series of destinations within the splendid necklace of green and blue spaces along Tampa Bay. Taking inspiration from flora and fauna (manatees, pelicans, the work-house mangroves), the project rethinks a Pier for the 21st century, and envelopes it within a resilient and tranquil series of blue and green public spaces. Mangrove forests are designed to respond to specific water levels and tidal fluctuations, views are framed within the new vegetation, and seagrass fields and manatee habitat is established in the shallow waters. The old Pier is replaced by a slender connection located above future storm surges and touches down in a dynamic, sandy shoal where the public can moor vessels or step into the water. A new icon, “The Eye,” is designed as a durable open-air structure that will weather the Bay’s climate and provide refuge.
Custom-designed fixtures and furnishings reflect the city’s connection to the natural environment and its birds, fish and bay-front context. The result is a series of choices and experiences rather than a linear point A to B destination. The sequence provides an unfolding journey, and a part of the fun of getting to the pier’s end.
As Landscape Architects at West 8, Unknown Studio’s Claire Agre and Dave Zielnicki developed the design vision for this competition.
Project timeline: 2011
Client: City of St. Petersburg
Scope: Competition Vision Plan
Project Type: Waterfront | Park
Size: 20 acres
Budget: Estimated $65 Million
Team: West 8 urban design & landscape architecture, p.c., Claire Agre, Senior Landscape Architect, Dave Zielnicki, Landscape Architect
Consultants: Walter P Moore, Taylor Coastal Engineering TLC Engineering, Sam Schwartz, Faithful + Gould, HR&A, George F. Young, Holmes Hepner & Associates
