WATERFRONT TRANSFORMATION OF PORT OF LOS ANGELES

Multiple play structures, green spaces surround an onyx-stepped public park along the Wilmington Waterfront Promenade. Spanning 10 acres along San Pedro Bay amid the Port of Los Angeles, one of the world's busiest seaports and a leading gateway for international trade in North America, the promenade was designed to reconnect Angelenos to the Pacific Ocean.

"The park is all about the water; the design centres around trying to create multiple experiences in which you view and interact with the water's edge," explained Sasaki associate principal Philip Dugdale. "Sometimes quite obviously, but at other times, in a more playful manner."

Designed to be an oasis in the industrial context, the roughly triangular park is divided into three zones banding northward from the southern waterfront between Berths 183 and 186.

It connects the Picnic Pier – a large wooden deck with shaded seating and a playful cargo-net cutout that allows people to look down into the water – to a floating dock for public water access and a small-craft launch.

Between the pier and the dock are the Tidal Steps, 82 metres of banded Arizona onyx stone, cut into blocks and arranged to showcase the changing tides. Small pockets of plantings create microenvironments for aquatic-based wildlife, and the steps serve as "a visible representation of time, something that had been lost for the community over the years," Dugdale said.

The warm tones in the onyx informed the material selection throughout the park, lending colours to the precast concrete and paving. Cooler tones from the industrial surroundings can be seen in the diagonal paving bands and aluminium shading structures.

A set of swinging benches connects the Waterfront Promenade to the Bluff, a one-acre community plaza with an open lawn for gatherings and live entertainment, surrounded by planting areas and hardscapes. On the west side of the Bluff is aplay area with mountaineering ropes, climbing nets and a large tower and slide.

The densely planted Upland holds the northern edge of the park along Water Street with over 200 trees – ranging from pink trumpets to italian stone and torrey pines to palms – and California native, drought-tolerant plants. Pedestrian and bike trails weave through the landscape, connecting seating spaces, green scenic lookouts and a restroom facility with a green roof.

"A key driver was to try to craft a landscape that created a natural buffer between Wilmington and the port while also taking advantage of the sweeping views of the Los Angeles harbor," Dugdale said.

PROJECT PARTICULARS

Project | Wilmington Waterfront Promenade
Location | Port of Los Angeles
Architect | Sasaki
Photography | Barrett Doherty