St Pete Pier
An example of 21st century urban design, the St. Pete Pier is both an investment in equitable open space and a catalyst for economic development. The project replaces an aging structure with a new, dynamic public landscape, and leverages programming for a layered set of users and improved public transportation and resiliency infrastructure to energize the city’s downtown revitalization and anchor a larger district development strategy. The Pier is also an investment in the city’s ability to recover from rising sea levels and increasingly major storm surges. The new infrastructure includes flood resistant features and drainage capabilities to minimize flooding impacts to ensure that recovery from 100-year storms and Category 4 hurricanes is possible.
The new Pier represents the future of urban infrastructure. It is a highly integrated work of landscape, architecture and urbanism. The project encompasses economic development, urban resilience, environmental awareness, social equity, public access and recreation. It supports, enhances and contributes to a growing diverse community and changing world. The new Pier was designed as a collection of open space opportunities and a diversity of experiences. The design emphasizes connectivity to the existing historic waterfront parks and the downtown community. The 26-acre Pier District has been conceived as a multi-modal area with a pedestrian-oriented emphasis that connects to the daily life of downtown St. Petersburg, tying into transportation and recreation systems including bike paths, jogging trails, parking locations, and public transit. As the focal point of the district, the 12-acre new Pier provides an armature of rich, local, and destination-based programming. It is a hub for activity, not only at the pier head, but all along its 1,380-foot length.
The project creates diverse and inclusive spaces with active and passive connections to the bay. Significant is the elimination of cars on the pier. The design reconnects the pier to the daily life of downtown St. Petersburg, tying into transportation and recreation systems such as bike paths, jogging trails, parking locations, and public transit systems, including a tram that runs the length of the pier.
PROJECT CREDITS
Client:
The City of St. Petersburg
Design Architect:
As Design Architect, Rogers Partners directed the Design, Programming and Urban Planning
Executive Architect:
As Executive Architect, ASD I SKY collaborated on the design and served as Architect of Record
Team: John Curran (Principal in Charge/Project Director), Ken Cowart (Project Architect), Tara Williams (Project Architect), Jeff Stewart, Alex Atwood, Dan Greenberg, Jessica Cruze, Marcel Maslowski
Design Landscape Architect:
As Design Landscape Architect, Ken Smith Workshop directed the landscape design
Team: Ken Smith (Principal), Hardy Stecker (Senior Associate), Feixiong Yu (Project Manager)
Booth Design Group
Lighting Design:
Renfro Design Group
Thornton Tomasetti
Structural and MEPS Engineering:
TLC Engineers
Civil, Marine, and Environmental Consultants:
Stantec
Coastal Engineer:
Humiston and Moore Engineers
Geotechnical Engineer:
Terracon
Photos:
Rich Montalbano / RiMO Photo, LLC
and
Barrett Doherty
