Area Residents Invited to Two Events in Early January to Kick off Second Phase of Design Competition
Great Rivers Greenway and our partners have finished the first stage in the Chouteau Greenway Design Competition process. The four selected teams will officially begin working on their respective conceptual plans to connect Forest Park and Washington University to Downtown and the Gateway Arch in early January after receiving a full briefing on the project’s goals, challenges and opportunities. Residents of the region will have a chance to meet the project teams and learn more about their qualifications at the “Meet the Designers” night, being held on Jan. 4, and can make their mark on a community mural at a Community Day event, being held on Jan. 6.
Great Rivers Greenway and partners received a total of 19 team qualifications submittals for the first stage of the competition. A jury, comprised of nine local and international experts, reviewed all submissions and recommended the four winning teams. A total of 124 firms from seven countries and 13 U.S. states made up the team submissions, with 44 of the firms being local to the St. Louis region. Teams represent the disciplines of urban planning, economics, cultural programming, art, sustainability, Universal Design, landscape architecture, architecture, civil and structural engineering, hydrology, open space programming, acoustics, lighting and traffic engineering.
The second stage of the competition will require the teams to prepare conceptual designs for the Chouteau Greenway that address the design and experience of the greenway, while also addressing the economic development and equity issues in the region. All four teams chosen include local St. Louis team members and are as follows:
- James Corner Field Operations in association with [dtls], WSP, HR & A Advisors, Lord Cultural Resources, Sherwood Design Engineers, MIC, L’Observatorie, ETM Associates
- STOSS Landscape Urbanism in association with Amanda Williams, Urban Planning and Design for the American City, Alta Planning + Design, Marlon Blackwell Architects, HR & A Advisors and David Mason and Associates
- TLS Landscape Architecture, OBJECT TERRITORIES, [dhd] derek hoeferlin design in association with Langan, Linda Samuels, Paola Serrano, EDSI, Ramboll, Kristin Fleischmann Brewer, eDesign Dynamics, Silman, Econsult Solutions, Bryan Cave, Preservation Research Office
- W Architecture & Landscape Architecture in association with Arup, ABNA Engineering, Gardiner & Theobald, Kiku Obata & Co., Regina Myer
“Our nation is trying to figure out what equitable cities look like and this competition is an opportunity to take on those issues and bring St. Louis to the forefront of this dialogue,” according to a statement provided by the Chouteau Greenway International Design Competition jury. “The four teams selected showed that they have the diversity of disciplines, experience and capacity needed to take on such a complex problem. Using terms such as ‘authentic engagement’, ‘radical listening’ and ‘empathy-driven approaches’, they described people as being the center of a transformation that will strengthen the fabric of St. Louis.”
Since September, Great Rivers Greenway has gathered community input on the project in a variety of ways. A survey, which 2,000 regional residents have taken to date, has thus far captured the community’s desire for the project to be inclusive on multiple levels. People have asked that the greenway create a physical common ground, but also that the process and implementation be intentional. Many respondents requested policy around the types of economic development the greenway could bring to ensure opportunities for all. Specific requests listed include small business development, job creation and affordable housing. The survey remains open online at www.ChouteauGreenway.org until Dec. 22, 2017.
Moving forward, community members are invited to attend two events to help them further connect with the project. A Meet the Designers Night will be held on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Local 36 Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall, located at 2319 Chouteau Ave, St. Louis, MO 63103. The event will feature presentations from 6:15-7:30 p.m. from project partners and all four design teams, so everyone will have an opportunity to learn about their qualifications and approach. The event is free to attend and will have a cash bar. Residents of the region are also invited to a Community Day on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 from 9am to noon at Harris-Stowe State University’s William L. Clay Professional Development Center, located at 3026 Laclede Ave, St. Louis, MO 63103. People of all ages will have the opportunity to help create a mural for the project, in partnership with Freedom Arts & Education Center. Local performers will show off their skills and door prizes will be given out all morning. Information about the project will be displayed, with 10 minute presentations every hour. The event is free and food and drink are provided.
“Please join us for one or both of these events to get to know the project and see how the whole community can bring the greenway to life,” said Susan Trautman, Chief Executive Officer for Great Rivers Greenway. “We are thrilled with the forthright feedback people have given us so far and look forward to this project and process being transformational for our region.”
Teams will work on their designs throughout the first quarter of the year, meeting frequently with technical and community advisors from many disciplines across the region to guide the teams through questions to determine feasibility and relevance. Final design concepts will be presented to the community through exhibits, online surveys, open houses and direct outreach in April 2018. The jury will then evaluate the plans based on design and community goals in late April and choose the winning team to finalize its design, completing the competition, in June 2018. Partners will then determine how to bring the project to life through further design, phasing, engineering, construction, activation, operations and maintenance.