Located along the eastern shore of the Mission Bay neighbourhood, the park was constructed in a formal industrial site across from the city's Chase Center arena.

For the project, the studio received leftover steel from the Oakland Museum of California's Bay Bridge Steel Program, which allocates leftover material from the demolition of a portion of the Oakland Bay Bridge to public projects throughout the state.

"Bayfront Park celebrates material reuse and a sense of place along the evolving waterfront," said Surfacedesign. "With its palette of rugged and reclaimed materials, [it] reconnects present-day Mission Bay to its maritime history."

The studio used the material throughout the park, inserting steel beams both vertically and horizontally to create a variety of features including a slim cantilevered observation deck.

"Steel elements from the now-demolished eastern span of the bridge are incorporated throughout the park as sculptural features," said the team.

"Vertical steel elements animate the 16th Street Plaza and act as supports for a pair of shade structures, repurposed beams are used as informal seating elements along the waterfront and in the plaza, and as part of the observation deck."

Surfacedesign also considered sea-level rise by raising the elevation of the site and protecting its waterfront with rip-rap. The studio used a mixture of native and naturalized plant species for the landscaping, which also included biorentation gardens to help manage stormwater run-off.

Location Bayfront Park, San Francisco
Architect Surfacedesign
Photography Marion Brenner