Alameda, California
BAY SHIP AND YACHT / 2010
in collaboration with OMG STUDIO
This projects serves as an extension of the Bay Trail, part of what will be a 500-mile network of bicycle and walking trails connecting 47 cities throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. This section begins at the Alameda Ferry station and continues through an industrial corridor, along the property of the Bay Ship and Yacht Company.
A plaza was created near the ferry terminal to serve as an entry point for this section of the Bay Trail, oriented at an angle to provide views of the Oakland estuary and the San Francisco Bay. Relics from the shipping industry were collected from the ship yard and have been repurposed as key elements in the landscape, reflecting the industrial history of the site.
A propeller found on-site was embedded in the concrete, serving as a focal point of the plaza. I-beams were refinished and painted bright red, and now function as seating in the center of the plaza, providing views of the bay. An anchor sites at the corner of the plaza, with its attached chain acting as a border at the shoreline. A pair of davits arch over the entrance, serving as a gateway to the new extension of the trail.
Planting along the trail was kept simple, with native grasses set in linear patterns that reinforce the geometry of the plaza. This low planting allows views of the water to be maintained and is in keeping with the industrial nature of the site.