St. Petersburg, Fla.'s city council today formally approved funding and contracts for the redesign of the city’s iconic landmark, the St. Petersburg Pier.
During the meeting, $5.2 million was approved for the finalized design, demolition of the current pier, and initial contracting services. The council approved $1.1 million to finalize design details and another half-million to fund pre-construction work. Demolition work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
On May 9, the city selected the new pier’s design, a collaborative effort between Rogers Partners (lead designer), ASD (executive architect), and Ken Smith Landscape Architect.
The team's design honors the pier’s eclectic history and transforms it into a 21st-century public place. It extends the urban and recreational features of St. Petersburg into the bay itself. It also reconnects the pier to the daily life of St. Petersburg, tying into the city’s transportation and recreation systems—bike paths, jogging trails, parking location, and public transit systems—as well as new transport options like the Looper Trolley and a potential high-speed ferry.
“To accomplish the vision for a new and revitalized pier,” said Robert M. Rogers, Founder of Rogers Partners, “we are creating a place that embraces the dual role of the pier as both an icon for the city and an integral part of the St. Petersburg Waterfront—a place for tourists and everyday visitors alike, one that honors the pier’s robust, eclectic history while transforming it into a 21st-century public place.”
Rather than a singular and heavily programmed destination at the pier head, The Pier Park will be a platform for a multitude of smaller and more flexible programs and experiences for both tourists and the local community—from children to seniors, nature lovers to boaters, fishermen to fine diners. It will serve as a hub for activity, not only at the pier head, but all along its length.
The St. Petersburg Pier has been an essential icon in the city since the late 1800s. Throughout its history, it has existed in many forms—the original and highly successful Railroad pier of 1889, the Electric pier, the Municipal pier, the Million-Dollar pier, and finally the most recent iteration, known simply as “The Pier.”
“Each of the pier’s past incarnations had its own set of programs and uses, some more ambitious than others,” commented John Curran, Studio Leader at ASD and Lead Project Manager for the new pier. “The ones that succeeded appealed to both visitors and residents, and were active day and night, throughout the year. This flexibility was essential to our approach to the new design.”
Related Stories
Smart Buildings | Dec 3, 2014
Arup research explores urban infrastructure design in 2050
The report projects a future where highways will be made from self-healing, glow-in-the-dark materials and will be governed by sophisticated technologies that communicate with cars, road infrastructure, and GPS systems.
Smart Buildings | Oct 30, 2014
Energy Department pledges $9 million for energy efficiency improvements on commercial buildings
The U.S. Dept. of Energy will spend $9 million to encourage investments in energy-saving technologies that can be tested and deployed in offices, shops, restaurants, hospitals, hotels and other types of commercial buildings.
Smart Buildings | Oct 29, 2014
SCAPE’s 'living breakwaters' resiliency development wins 2014 Buckminster Fuller Challenge
New York-based landscape architecture firm SCAPE won the Buckminster Fuller Institute’s 2014 Fuller Challenge, billed as socially responsible design’s highest award.
Smart Buildings | Jun 8, 2014
Big Data: How one city took control of its facility assets with data
Over the past few years, Buffalo has developed a cutting-edge facility management program to ensure it's utilizing its facilities and operations as efficiently, effectively, and sustainably as possible.
Smart Buildings | May 19, 2014
New York should forget about surge barriers for most cost-effective resiliency plan, say researchers
Massive storm surge barriers would be too costly for the potential benefit to protect New York City from violent storms like Hurricane Sandy, researchers say.
Smart Buildings | Apr 28, 2014
Cities Alive: Arup report examines latest trends in urban green spaces
From vertical farming to glowing trees (yes, glowing trees), Arup engineers imagine the future of green infrastructure in cities across the world.
Smart Buildings | Jan 7, 2014
9 mega redevelopments poised to transform the urban landscape
Slowed by the recession—and often by protracted negotiations—some big redevelopment plans are now moving ahead. Here’s a sampling of nine major mixed-use projects throughout the country.
Smart Buildings | Sep 13, 2013
Chicago latest U.S. city to mandate building energy benchmarking
The Windy City is the latest U.S. city to enact legislation that mandates building energy benchmarking and disclosure for owners of large commercial and residential buildings.
Smart Buildings | Feb 14, 2013
Minneapolis joins energy benchmarking trend for commercial buildings
Minneapolis is the latest major metro to require large commercial buildings to benchmark and disclose their energy and water use.
