Community- and ecology-driven design for an historic waterfront park
{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"8000","speed":"1000","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}
{"autoplay":"true","autoplay_speed":"8000","speed":"1000","arrows":"true","dots":"false","loop":"true","nav_slide_column":5,"rtl":"false"}

DETAILS

LocationRotterdam, Netherlands
ClientGemeente Rotterdam
SERVICE:
Size18 acres

Identified by the City as one of its “Big Five” open space projects, the conceptual master plan for Nelson Mandela Park will create a much-needed central open space for the city’s south district, an industrial area along the waterfront that is home to a growing and increasingly diverse population. Here the city seeks to transcend its current park paradigm of landscape art and environmental performance to also embrace a multi-cultural milieu. An active community engagement process will inform the design of the new park, resulting in a place that is attractive and responsive to its heterogeneous stakeholders, and that will provide a catalyst for future development in this urban district.

Inspired by the natural hydrology and tidal vegetation systems of the river, park celebrates the maritime heritage of Rotterdam, while harnessing the coast for the benefit of the future. The community- and ecology-driven approach give the park a unique identity within Rotterdam’s park system and waterfront.

Related Projects

Dongguan Central Park Area

This new 32-hectare park is envisioned as a “livability magnet” in the ongoing renewal of the Dongguan’s Central Business District, intended to attract new talent to the reputed “world’s factory.” SWA conceptualized the park as a living system, inspired by the durable, growing roots of a banyan tree. The design leverages thoughtful soil, water, and planting st...

Nickerson Gardens Playground

Originally designed in 1955 by architect Paul Revere Williams, Nickerson Gardens is a 1,066-unit apartment complex in Watts, South Los Angeles — the largest social housing project west of the Mississippi. Core to Williams’ vision was an emphasis on shared open space, but its central playground, neglected for years, fell into a state of disrepair. In collaborat...

Pazhou South Waterfront Park

This four-hectare urban waterfront park is a pilot project in the landscape renovation of Hungpuchong River, setting a high standard for riverfront public space in Guangzhou. The new public realm aims to connect the surrounding neighborhood and transportation hub to the river, bringing people back to the water’s edge.

The park activates the waterfront a...

OCT Bao’an Waterfront Cultural Park

Bao’an Waterfront Park is an essential amenity for future residents of Shenzhen’s rapidly expanding Qianhai area, and is also an important connection between the urban fabric and the ocean. The key landscape frameworks for the park are its riverine interpretation aspects and water’s edge programs. The “Eco River” will bring water experiences into the green spa...

Pellier Park

In the heart of downtown San Jose, the first of three new SWA-designed parks celebrates the plum tree and agricultural origins of Silicon Valley.  The site is a registered California Historic Landmark and the original nursery of Louis Pellier, known as “ The Prune King’ who introduced the French Prune to the Valley in 1856 and sparked the orchard boom in Calif...

Homecrest Playground

Part of the larger Shore Parkway, an 816.1-acre collection of parks that stretches across Brooklyn and Queens, Homecrest Playground originally opened in 1942 with a baseball field, basketball courts, handball courts, and benches for community use. This park redesign focuses on providing different playground and recreation amenities for surrounding residents.

Evelyn’s Park

In honor of their late matriarch Evelyn, the Rubenstein family donated a historically and geographically prominent five-acre tract on the busy Bellaire Boulevard and created a conservancy to fund a public park with primarily private funds, while engaging the public in its design and development. This park seeks to be reflective and adaptive to the local cultur...

Canvas Park

Canvas Park is an activity-packed recreation center at the heart of Regions North, the latest addition to the growing New Haven community in Ontario. Centering on sports, family play, and social activities, the park offers a 5,000-square-foot lap pool, flexible lawn spaces, sport courts, and reservable outdoor spaces that residents can use for private gatherin...

2024-10-11T18:33:05+00:00