St. Pete Pier Competition: Public Input Welcome

As the City of St. Petersburg continues on in its search to choose a replacement for the iconic Pier, members of the public will now get a chance to voice their opinions.

On December 6th, a new exhibit opened at the St. Pete Museum of History at 335 2nd Ave. N.E. entitled “Look, Think, Share.”

A free exhibition open to the public through December 30th, the exhibit will showcase the final three concepts for the redesign and reconstruction of the Pier that were submitted for the St. Petersburg Pier International Design Competition. The exhibit will give the public an opportunity to view and comment on the designs.

After a panel of jurors winnowed the submissions from 23, the final three chosen are Michael Maltzan Architecture, a Los Angeles-based architecture firm that decided to team up with St. Pete's own Wannemacher Jensen Architects (WJ Architects), as well as New York-based Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture.

While Michael Maltzan Architecture's design focuses on a new icon for the city, reframing the relationship between St. Pete and the Bay, BIG's design promotes the concept of a network of paths from a tributary public life gradually flowing together. West 8's design wants to provide Pier visitors with multiple experiences at one location.

"The objective is to work with the community to arrive at a solution that is embraced,” says Jason Jensen of WJ Architects, who has collaborated with lead designer Michael Maltzan on Michael Maltzan Architecture's design. "The design submitted for this competition is only the beginning of the process and will be a basis for additional community outreach and will continue to be redefined. In order to ensure a successful design, you need a team willing to reach out to the stakeholders and residents in the community.”

On December 16, the three teams will present their concepts to the jury at the Coliseum in St .Pete at 535 4th Ave. N. The public is welcome to attend and observe. Come 2012, the jury will then evaluate each design, ultimately making the final ranking on January 20.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Jason Jensen, WJ Architects