The Saint Petersburg Pier Essay Samples

The City of St. Petersburg, Florida is currently reviewing designs for their new pier. The pier will be a part of a complete revitalization of their downtown, waterfront area. The mayor, Rick Kriseman announced that the plan for the building the pier would begin to move forward in May 2014. Since that time, the city has reviewed applications from dozens of architectural firms and narrowed the field down to three. (“The New St. Petersburg Pier”). Waveny reported in March that residents in a survey would still like the Destination Saint Pete Pier design and concept.
I preferred the Destination St. Pete Pier concept of the three presented. It keeps the inverted pyramid design which draws the eye to the water which surrounds it. The bay is the most important part of the landscape for the pier and it should be emphasized. The designers also state in their presentation that this new structure would not disturb the environment because is staying within the limits of the current pier. The roundness of the terraces is organic and fluid. The firm has incorporated organic elements like plant covered trellises and palms on the decks as well as a glass floor that straddles the bay.
The open terraces and glassed in areas provide virtually unrestricted views of the bay, beaches and city behind it. The design is clean, well lit and would accentuate the environment not overwhelm it like the other designs that are proposed. It is both attractive to look at but retained functionality which is critical in this type of endeavor.

Works Cited

“The New St. Petersburg Pier.” St. Petersburg, n.d. Web
http://www.stpete.org/city_initiatives/the_new_pier.php
Waveney, Ann. “St. Petersburg Pier Survey Results Released” Tampa Bay Times, 9 Mar. 2015
Web 31 Mar. 2015. <http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/st-petersburg-pier-
survey-results-set-to-be-released/2220572>