Design, Visualization & Photography
Design, Visualization & Photography
The Common Ground Team led by TLS Landscape Architecture presented a vision for a “Grand Bayway” at the Resilient by Design Challenge in San Francisco, on May 17th.
The proposal looks at a resilient future for flood-threatened and congested State Route 37 connecting the northern edge of San Francisco Bay as well as adjacent tidal complexes and restored marshes. The result would be a new Ecological Central Park larger than San Francisco.
The project proposes to resolve the transportation problem of Highway 37 by designing a scenic causeway elevated on columns 20 feet high, allowing tidal flows and marsh migration to return to their natural condition.
Client: TLS Landscape Architecture
Role: Visualization, Post-Production, Graphic Direction
Location: San Francisco, California
Date: May 2018
Team: TLS Landscape Architecture, Exploratorium, Guy Nordenson & Assoc., Michael Maltzan Architecture, HR&A Advisors, Sitelab Urban Studio, Lotus Water, Rana Creek, Dr. John Oliver, Richard Hindle, UC Berkeley, Fehr & Peers Transportation Consultants
Community Stakeholders: Greenbelt Alliance, Coastal Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited, Road Ecology Center, Transportation Authority of Marin, Sonoma County Transportation Authority, Napa Valley Transportation Authority, Solano Transportation Authority, Bay Trail, Water Trail, Sonoma Land Trust, US Fish and Wildlife, Caltrans, Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Published: Resilient By Design Website, Archdaily, Fast Company, World Landscape Architect, Times-Herald News, San Francisco Chronicle
All images and adapted text property of TLS Landscape Architecture.
To prepare for rising sea levels, the project proposes to create an ecological laboratory working strategically with streams and diked sloughs to incrementally re-engage sediment deposits and cultivate biodiversity though various means including “sediment trains,” hyper-accretion gardens, and floating wetlands.
A great mobility loop will encompass the open space involving pedestrian and bike routes collocated with an excursion train using an existing freight line.
The causeway is designed with the same ambition and flair as other iconic bay crossings but based on 21st century sensibilities for the natural environment and diverse transit types, not just vehicles.
Rather than broad concrete platforms on a forest of columns, this design is based on the principles of scenic byway design, curving to open views over the bay and marshes and oriented to natural landmarks.
These final 3 views were composed & rendered by the team at TLS and were passed along to me for last-minute graphic consistency, needing only slight adjustments in atmosphere and lighting. Clearly, there’s an incredibly talented group of people at TLS!