The Rosemont Bridge and connecting trails layer pedestrian infrastructure onto the Buffalo Bayou corridor in Houston, Texas and is a significant step in realizing the larger vision of a more accessible Houston. Running through downtown Houston, Buffalo Bayou is one of the significant natural bayou corridors in the City, but is cut off from adjacent neighborhoods by expressways and major thoroughfares. The goal of the project is to connect neighborhoods north and south of the corridor to the bayou and along the bayou itself. Using existing topography to leap across the roadways, sinuous ramps provides accessibility as well as tree-top views of Buffalo Bayou and downtown. The design links both sides of the bayou with the street grids on either side of Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive, providing access to the 200-acre Buffalo Bayou green space. The bridge draws visitors out over the bayou along a continuous ramped surface that meets ADA requirements for universal accessibility. This creates a subtle, elegant pathway that allows the visitor to experience the bayou from differing points of view. The 3.6576-meter wide bridge is supported along its 239-meter length by a weathering steel truss that supports the concrete deck. The bridge deck is discretely lit with LED light fixtures that are integrated into the guardrail system of the bridge allowing access and safe use after dark. The bridge and trails have become a favorite destination for pedestrians and bicyclists and an iconic photo opportunity for images of downtown Houston.
Bayou Greenways
As one of the largest U.S. cities, Houston’s sprawling, car-centric infrastructure is underpinned by a vast arterial system of over 2,500 miles of bayous—an untapped ecological feature that could redefine urban life.
Recognizing this potential, the Houston Parks Board worked alongside SWA to develop a visionary plan for nine central bayous as an i...
Mason Park Bridge
Mason Park, located at the confluence of two bayous, has served as an urban oasis since 1928. Despite a century of improvements to amenities, user access was significantly compromised by the wide expanse of Brays Bayou, which bisected the 104-acre green space into distinct northern and southern sections. Adjacent road and rail infrastructure further exacerbate...
Houston Green Loop
With the coming expansion and realignment of the highways around Downtown Houston, SWA identified the opportunity to enact a bold vision: a multi-use branded connectivity system that will leverage the immense reconstruction investment. SWA’s concept creates a continuous pedestrian loop over, under, and around the downtown highway system, thus redirecting the u...
Sanshan Hillside Park
The Pearl River Delta has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past four decades, evolving from farmland to a global manufacturing and technology powerhouse. Amid the frenetic pulse of this sprawling megalopolis of 86 million people, Sanshan Hillside Park stands as a mountaintop oasis.
Envisioned as New Town’s Central Park, the design embr...