On July 29, 2019, urban design and landscape architecture firm West 8—along with their local partners Mahan Rykiel Associates, Inc. and Moffatt & Nichol–was announced as the winning team of the Middle Branch Waterfront Revitalization Competition in Baltimore, Maryland.
“I am extremely excited to learn the jury recommended West 8 as the landscape architecture firm to advance the Middle Branch Waterfront Plan,” said Mayor Bernard C. Jack Young.
“We received three impressive proposals, but I agreed with the jury or community leaders and experts in the field that West 8’s vision most closely aligns with what residents want to see in their communities. I want to thank all three firms for their hard work and inspiration throughout this selection process, and also the members of the jury for lending their time, expertise and thoughtfulness as we work to create a better Baltimore for residents and visitors alike,” he explained.
West 8 and two other leading firms—James Corner Field Operations and Hargreaves Jones—participated in the design competition, which was managed and developed by the Parks & People Foundation on behalf of the City of Baltimore, and facilitated in coordination with local community-based organizations.
“Existing dredge from the Port is strategically reused to control water and sentiment flow in the bay. Over time, this process will form new marshlands and wetland ecologies. Building on the legacy of Frederic Law Olmsted, the design imagines of a Linear Parkland— an expansive 11-mile green ring featuring piers, boardwalks, and structures for a fixed array of community uses. A community-centric development embellished with activator sites, pavilions and project icons borders the parkland,” explained West 8 Project Leader, Douglas Brooks.
The winning design recreates and redefines the blue green heart of Baltimore.
“A future phase of the design reimagines the iconic Hanover Street Bridge as a park which completes parkland ring and connects people from all walks of life to each other and to the Middle Branch,” adds West 8 Design Director, Adriaan Geuze.
The ranking of the three teams was made by a jury or local leaders and national experts. Each of the firm’s proposals were evaluated for technical merit, feasibility of the ideas, ability to integrate community feedback, originality of design vision, responsiveness to the competition’s objectives and to the site and its context, as well as the overall quality and clarity of the presentation materials.
All renderings are courtesy of West 8.