February 27, 2016 - The San Francisco Recreation & Park Department and the Trust for Public Land, in partnership with San Francisco Parks Alliance, announced today the winner of a design ideas competition, to draw up the plans for the India Basin Waterfront Parks. The competition, sponsored by a generous donation from Build Inc., called for proposals to reimagine the India Basin waterfront as a spectacular and seamless 1.5-mile-long network of public parks on the City’s southeast shoreline.
“We are honored to be entrusted to work with India Basin's neighbors and visitors, to enhance the things that people already treasure about this gem of a site,” said Shannon Nichol, founding principal of GGN. “India Basin includes a rare expanse of original tideflats and preserved boatyard architecture. Our approach to the competition further softened the shoreline, added walking routes across Innes Avenue between the water and the neighborhood, and sized the park's spaces for everyday activities. We look forward to working with the community to test and hone that initial approach with the full input of neighbors and the people who will be using this park every day.”
The GGN competition team includes Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA), civil engineer specializing in water resource strategies; Rana Creek, ecological restoration designer; Greenlee and Associates, horticulturalist specializing in meadow design; Turnbull Griffin Haesloop Architects, historic preservation architects; and Alta Planning + Design, transportation planners.
Lizzie Johnson reported on this story in today's San Francisco Chronicle.
Update: J. Michael Welton of Architects + Artisans published an article on March 1 titled “ In San Francisco, GGN’s Light Touch .” On March 16, Jason Sayer of the Architect's Newspaper wrote Gustafson Guthrie Nichol to Design San Francisco Shoreline Parks at the India Basin Waterfront.
