‘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.

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia 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.

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia 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.

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia 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.

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia tiered seating image courtesy of edward savaria jr and suzanne savaria

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia (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

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia view of upper and lower decks image © kevinderrick

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia view of the ‘sky promenade’ facing west image courtesy of james corner field operations

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia 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

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia night view image © kehsiva

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia site plan image courtesy of james corner field operations

james corner field operations: race street pier philadelphia cross section image courtesy of james corner field operations