AECOM + BIG Unveil Plans to Revamp Chicago’s Navy Pier with a Vertical Farm and Roof Gardens

Chicago is buzzing this week about the competition to revamp <a href="http://www.navypier.com/">Navy Pier</a>, one of the city's top tourist attractions. In recent weeks the field of design teams competing to redesign the pier has been whittled down from the more than 50 that submitted proposals in October. In the process, big-name architects like Rem Koolhaas, Zaha Hadid and Jeanne Gang <a href="http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2011/11/navy-pier-picks-five-teams-to-compete-for-redesign-of-piers-public-spaces.html">have all been eliminated</a>. This week, the five finalists presented their plans in Chicago, and the team headlined by AECOM and Bjarke Ingels Group is making waves for it bold, sustainability-minded <a href="http://www.navypiervision.com/rfp/pierscape/aecom/">vision for the pier</a>.

Inside what is now the <a href="http://www.navypier.com/about/ov_crystal_gard.html">Crystal Gardens</a>, the AECOM/BIG team plans to develop a vertical <a href="http://inhabitat.com/tag/urban-farm/">urban farm</a> and juice bar that would provide food for the restaurants on the pier.

Fruits and veggies would be grown in tall, sculptural pillars, which could be viewed from aerial boardwalks.

The plan calls for building a grand staircase that would lead visitors to the roof of Navy Pier's existing buildings, where people could take in views of the skyline (which are currently obstructed by the buildings).

In the winter, the grand staircase would double as a sled hill.

Although <a href="http://www.navypier.com/">Navy Pier</a> is the top tourist attraction in Illinois, Chicago residents will tell you that in its current state the pier is feeling dated, kitschy and, well, <a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-01/news/ct-met-schmich-0201-20120201_1_navy-pier-pier-attraction-water-taxis">cheesy</a>. First and foremost, the <a href="http://www.aecom.com/What+We+Do/Design+and+Planning/stories/Pierscape">AECOM</a>/<a href="http://www.big.dk/">BIG</a></big> proposal would open up more public, non-commercial space on the pier, and expand the space vertically.

British firm <a href="http://www.speirsandmajor.com/">Speirs + Major</a> is in charge of lighting.

The AECOM/BIG plan envisions infusing the boardwalk of the past with new life while expanding the space vertically.

On the roof, the team plans to develop a tapestry of garden plots.

AECOM/BIG have suggested that roof gardens would be developed in phases.

In the warmer months, the grand staircase would double as a live performance venue.

The proposal would seek to integrate the pier into the surrounding urban fabric.

Near the entrance of the pier, AECOM/BIG have designed a rain garden with a stormwater retention and filtration area.

The team also includes <a href="http://www.wetdesign.com/">WET Design</a>, a firm that specializes in dazzling fountain displays, and they've cooked up plans for several playful water features.