San Francisco to Turn Old Limo Terminal Into a Sea Lion-Friendly Waterfront Park

<a href="http://hyphae.net/journal/" target="_blank">Hyphae Design Laboratory</a> is designing a new project that will transform the limousine storage lot at San Francisco's Pier 27 into a year-round cruise terminal and local green hot spot. The Oakland-based sustainable design and consulting firm recently unveiled its latest vision at <a href="http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City.htm" target="_blank">Architecture and the City Festival</a>'s closing night. Plans for the port include a terminal and a 2.5 acre waterfront park, as well as rainwater catchment systems, bio-remediation systems, a gravity-defying living wall, and space for sea lions!

The biologically sound wetland remediation project at Pier 27 demonstrates the Port's commitment to the stewardship of waterfront historic resources and may be a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/artful-renovation-turns-san-franciscos-historic-pier-24-into-enormous-photography-gallery/" target="_blank">harbinger of reinvention</a> along the San Francisco's waterfront corridor.

Preexisting infrastructural constraints and the Bay's windy climate inform each new feature. For example, a mobile overhead gangway and raised passenger loading dock will enhance panoramic vistas, block wind, and reinforce the platform's structural integrity.

<a href="http://www.cacoastkeeper.org/news/california-fish-and-game-struggles-to-rewrite-rules-for-dredge-gold-mining" target="_blank">Dredge harvest missions</a> make up the main portion of bio-remediation, and will reveal the legacy of decades of waterfront development and uncover the environmental impact of local industrial activity.

Dredging, which is often associated with creating a disturbance in aquatic systems will, in this case, replenish areas where too sand much has been lost due to coastal erosion.

Barges will be introduced as mechanisms for transport and treatment.

Development of the terminal was spurred by a need to increase shoreside infrastructure for larger maritime vessels. While under construction, the existing Pier 27 maritime shed will be demolished, opening up the site for a new 88,000 square foot, two-level cruise terminal facility.

The expansive Northeast Wharf Plaza will meet provisioning and passenger loading needs of the <a href="http://www.sfport.com/index.aspx?page=282" target="_blank">cruise terminal</a>. It will also serve as a pleasant space for public recreation.

Proposed features include a waterfall (a la Yerba Buena Gardens), a range of colors and patterns adorning the pavement, trees to double as wind breaks, and food trucks (a la Fort Mason).

A variety of low impact development water infrastructure systems including greywater and rainwater catchment systems will minimize the environmental impact of the new terminal and may encourage visitors to consider the intricacies of our relationship with local ecosystems.

The team addressed site-specific problems with the support of local environmental and water conservation organizations like Aquarium of the Bay, the <a href="http://inhabitat.com/2nd-skins-epa-dress-and-piezing-motion-powered-dress/" target="_blank">Exploratorium</a>, San Francisco Baykeeper, Save the Bay, the California Coastal Conservancy, and the Estuary Program.

Hyphae Design Laboratory's investigative approach to architecture challenges the green infrastructure paradigm--and it fits with Architecture and the City's 2011 festival theme, 'Architecture of Consequence'.

During times when the cruise terminal is not in commercial use, it is expected to thrive as a special event destination. The "piazza" may even serve as a new site for farmers markets, flea markets, and live music.

Construction will begin in January of 2012 and the new facility and will be completed the following year, just in time for <a href="http://www.americascup.com/en/Discover/San-Francisco/">America’s Cup</a>, which is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of spectators and sailing aficionados to the San Francisco Bay Area.