On Tuesday night, W was honored to receive a NY ASLA Merit Award for the St. Petersburg Pier Approach in the General Design category. We were proud to attend the awards ceremony at the Center for Architecture and congratulate all the winners. Submissions were juried by an interdisciplinary team of professionals from the ASLA Texas Chapter and winners were selected based on quality of design and execution, innovation, and impact on community and the profession.

The St. Pete Pier Approach is a 20-acre area space between the downtown and the pier which has become the heart of the City. Originally a vehicular oriented parking area, the goal was to create a pedestrian oriented place, with integrated vehicular and bicycle traffic that links the downtown and the pier. Over 60% of the space had been devoted to streets and parking. The implemented plan reduces roadway and parking, while increasing attractive pedestrian uses that provides a series of events to lure people out towards the pier and the Bay. The oval-shaped landscape forms and pathways are inspired by the unique karst/sinkhole landscape local to the Tampa Bay region. The waterfront edges provide a variety of spaces for gathering and interacting with the water, including hard and soft edges. Storm water management provides wetland areas that attract wildlife. Three interlinked pedestrian experiences encourage people to enjoy the area on foot – an urban pedestrian spine that reaches from the downtown to the pier, a family-oriented park, and waterfront edges.