james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia

'race street pier' by james corner field operations, philadelphia, pennsylvania
image courtesy of james corner field operations


the race street pier by new york's james corner field operations is now complete. located along philadelphia's delaware river,
the intervention seeks to connect the city with the river, reactivating the water's edge and establishing the area as an intimate
public park.



entrance
image © christian carollo photography


formerly known as pier 11, the new park runs parallel to the benjamin franklin bridge, extending five hundred feet into the water.
a split environment encourages a range of contrasting activities, the upper level acting as a 'sky promenade' for walking, cycling
and jogging, the lower for passive recreation.



view of lower promenade
image © laura blanchard


an integrated ramp bridges the two platforms, dramatizing the sense of space and arrival while providing rare views back to the city.
a series of synthetic wood benches wrap around the incline marking the twelve foot elevational difference and merging the two levels.
acting as functional and flexible seating, the tiered and tapered platforms add a sense of sculpture and definition to the otherwise
simple design.



looking to the end of the pier along the ramp, which connects the upper and lower levels of the pier
image courtesy of edward savaria jr and suzanne savaria


the race street pier, originally constructed in 1896, is one of the first public spaces to be realized as part of the larger redevelopment
of the central delaware waterfront, scheduled for total completion in 2035.



tiered seating
image courtesy of edward savaria jr and suzanne savaria



(left) the seating terraces link the upper and lower levels of the pier, and provide ample sitting space
image courtesy of james corner field operations
(right) tiered benches
image © streetsdept



view of upper and lower decks
image © kevinderrick



view of the 'sky promenade' facing west
image courtesy of james corner field operations



the bridge allee is comprised of 25 large swamp white oak trees that reinforce the slice of the pier into two levels
image courtesy of edward savaria jr and suzanne savaria



night view
image © kehsiva



site plan
image courtesy of james corner field operations



cross section
image courtesy of james corner field operations