2008 Awards

MERIT AWARD - Un-Built Projects

St. Louis Arch Grounds Connector, St. Louis, MO

Thomas Balsley Associates
www.tbany.com

Spanning three city blocks and linking two vibrant city attractions, Thomas Balsley Associates’ design completes Saarinen’s 20th century modernist vision with a 21st century contemporary landscape with the goal of creating a public landscape of connective tissue that will seamlessly entice visitors from the Arch Grounds attraction to the historic Smith Courthouse and downtown St. Louis. Concept A called for a bold proposal to raise the grade of Ely Smith Park and for a “leap” over a large buffer berm via an ultra-light glass pedestrian bridge. This solution leads to a clear and direct connection to the historic Courthouse and the City gained a new street-level urban park along with a venue from which to view the park and enjoy the urban life of the city. The connector spaces have been carefully conceived as celebrations of the diversity of contemporary urban life and include landscape narratives on the Jefferson Expansion and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Great lawns for celebrations, daily civic gatherings, cafés, interpretive kiosks, interactive fountains, distinctive paving and native plantings have been composed into a distinctive and memorable landscape worthy of its designer and the rich contemporary heritage of the Arch.          

Credits

Client: Danforth Foundation                             
Project Manager & Lead Planner: Arcturi
Civil & Structural Engineering: Jacobs Engineering
Design Engineer: ARUP Engineering