Alice Wainwright Park

Miami, FL

Living Shoreline

 

Curtis + Rogers Design Studio, Inc. was retained by the City of Miami, Florida to provide design and agency permit approvals services for the renovation of the waterfront area of Alice Wainwright Park. Major program elements included the renovation of the existing “sea wall” and a new baywalk. Complementing the existing shade pavilions, new event lawns areas were delineated. Native shade trees and palms were proposed to replace existing invasive trees that would be removed. The proposed design of the park considers the future connections to Plan Z Miami to Rickenbacker Trail on the north end and to the Commodore Trail on the west end of the park. Resilience design is a major strategy throughout all the proposed interventions. From the salt resistant vegetation and sensitive transition to the Native Forest Community on the North West area to the use of innovative permeable path technologies and solar lighting. Landscape improvements included new site furniture that integrates city wide preferred alternatives with natural stone sourced benches that recreate and celebrates the exiting Silver Bluff formations of the site. The proposed geometry of the baywalk was inspired by the curvilinear forms found at the breaking waves on the sandy beaches of Miami, softening the transition of the hard sea wall to the water. Open unobstructed views out to the sea are maintained while shade is provided thought seating areas and around the open lawn event spaces.