Field Operations celebrated the opening of Overlook Walk on Seattle's Waterfront with a ribbon cutting by Mayor Harrell and the City of Seattle on October 4. This milestone marks the near completion of Seattle's massive Waterfront Park transformation, one that began with a comprehensive framework plan that kicked off in 2010 with Field Operations as urban design lead.
Creating a new pedestrian destination and journey between the city and the waterfront in the footprint of the former Alaskan Way Viaduct, Overlook Walk effectively links the historic Pike Place Market with the Seattle Aquarium, Pier 62, Waterfront Park, and Elliott Bay. With expansive views of Elliott Bay, play areas, new public plazas, and lushly planted gardens, Overlook Walk is a new iconic landmark for Seattle.
Learn more about Overlook Walk and the transformation of the central waterfront with the City of Seattle's Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects.
With Two Trees Management and Studio Cadena, Field Operations celebrated the opening of Domino Square on September 23. A new one-acre public plaza and events space that serves as an extension of Domino Park, the Square will host larger scale community events such as farmer's markets, graduations for neighborhood schools, salsa nights, and more. Beginning in November, the Square will also transform into an ice rink for winter months.
Learn more about the project and the transformation of the waterfront in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in Fast Company.
The International Federation of Landscape Architects announced James Corner as the 2024 recipient of the premier worldwide award in landscape architecture: the IFLA Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award. The award ceremony was held in Istanbul at the 2024 IFLA World Congress, where James also shared a keynote presentation. The IFLA Sir Geoffrey Jellicoe Award is the preeminent prize for landscape architects and the highest honor IFLA can bestow. It recognizes a living landscape architect whose lifetime achievements and contributions have had a unique and lasting impact on the welfare of society and the environment and on the promotion of the profession of landscape architecture.
Read the press release from IFLA here.
Join us for a lively conversation on how to design successful outdoor spaces that create energizing places of gathering, recreation, and play.
Moderated by The Architect's Newspaper Trading Notes, the talk will focus on sustainability as a pressing priority for landscape architects in both its social and material aspects. Isabel Castilla, Associate Partner at Field Operations, will be a featured speaker at the event.
Learn more about the event and register at the Trading Notes website.
This year we're celebrating over twenty years of the High Line's development, and fifteen years since its opening in 2009.
As part of their Future Fest 2024, Architizer is hosting a series of lectures with guest speakers. Join us with Isabel Castilla, Associate Partner at Field Operations, to learn more about how the High Line is an icon for innovative design, a defining feature in its neighborhood, a powerful catalyst for investment and an inspiration to cities worldwide.
Learn more about the event and register at Architizer's website.
The Architect's Newspaper has awarded the 2024 Best of Design Award in the Landscape category to Presidio Tunnel Tops!
As part of this year's awards, The Hudson River Park's Gansevoort Peninsula received an Honorable Mention in the Landscape category and The Underline Phase 3 received an Honorable Mention in the Unbuilt—Landscape, Master Plan & Urban Design category!
Check out the full list of winners of AN’s 2024 Best of Design Awards and the shortlist of Honorable Mentions on the linked websites.
Matt Grunbaum, Associate Partner at Field Operations, was interviewed by Monocle for The Urbanist.
With an influential audience of city mayors, urban planners and architects, The Urbanist is Monocle’s guide to making better cities. In the latest episode, Monocle’s Ed Stocker reports from Turin’s annual festival of urbanism, Utopian Hours, where a collection of inspiring speakers discussed everything from meanwhile spaces to climate resilience.
Matt discussed what inspires our design process at Field Operations and the importance of great public spaces within our cities by highlighting our work for Tongva Park, Overlook Walk Seattle and the High Line. In the interview, he emphasizes that "a great public realm is a one that connects spaces within a city, provides multiple uses and is geared towards people."
Listen to the full interview on Monocle's website.
Join us for a discussion between New York and London on rethinking streetscapes to prioritize people, create dynamic and sustainable environments, and enhance the public realm. Co-organized by the AIANY Global Dialogues Committee and New London Architecture, this event brings together experts from both cities to share insights on rethinking streetscapes by reallocating space in favor of people. Joining Alexis Taylor from NYCEDC, Larisa Ortiz from Streetsense, and panelists from London, Isabel Castilla from Field Operations will share more about efforts for the Future of Fifth project in New York. Focusing on two globally famous streets, Oxford Street in London and Fifth Avenue in New York, the panel discussion will explore the transformation needed to create dynamic, sustainable environments and enhance the public realm, strengthening the global status of both streets.
Learn more about the event and register at the AIANY website.
As part of the APA 2024 National Planning Awards, the Reimagine Middle Branch Plan received a Planning Excellence Award!
Reconnecting 19 neighborhoods in South Baltimore with their 11-mile waterfront on the Patapsco River, the Plan comprises 40 projects aimed at improving the environment, catalyzing economic growth, activating parks and open spaces, and celebrating the area's cultural heritage. The planning team prioritized community collaboration, recruiting 150 residents and technical experts to serve on advisory committees and ensure the alignment of priorities with residents of South Baltimore. Action-oriented projects that included Splash!, the Morgan State University Fellowship Program, and the Community Design Lab allowed the Plan to reach the public in new and creative ways.
Field Operations is honored to accept this award with our collaborators from the planning team: Mahan Rykiel Associates, Design Jones, Moffatt & Nichol, Toole Design Group, Biohabitats, Waldon Studio, Assedo Consulting, The Urban Studio, Kofi Boone, Public Mechanics, Urbane Development, Dharam Consulting and KG&A
Learn more about the Plan and the award on the APA website.
Mayor Eric Adams and the Future of Fifth Partnership unveiled plans to transform Fifth Avenue and the 20 blocks between Bryant Park and Central Park into a world-class, pedestrian-centered boulevard, bolstering the iconic corridor’s status as an economic engine and job creator for New York City. With expanded tree-lined sidewalks, shortened crosswalks that make for safer crossings, reduced traffic lanes, and additional planting and lighting, the design will create a revitalized, vibrant identity for Fifth Avenue.
Led by New York City and the Future of Fifth Partnership with various NYC agencies, Field Operations' design partners include Arcadis, Sam Schwartz Engineering, and Public Works Partners.
Read more about the vision in The New York Times, Curbed, and learn more at our upcoming public meeting.
We are excited to announce that Field Operations, in collaboration with Brook McIlroy, has been selected to design the next phase of Toronto’s The Bentway. The new site, The Bentway Islands, will transform three large traffic islands, covering a total of 11,500 square meters beneath the Gardiner Expressway into a vibrant, iconic, and sustainable public space for Toronto.
“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with The Bentway, the City of Toronto, and the local community to reimagine this site beneath the Gardiner Expressway. Our goal is to create an iconic, vibrant and sustainable public space that embodies The Bentway’s vision. Partnering with Brook McIlroy, we are excited to combine our firms' expertise in creating transformative, high-impact public spaces, bringing to life a truly extraordinary new space for Toronto," said Isabel Castilla, Associate Partner at Field Operations.
Check out the official announcement from The Bentway Conservancy, and media coverage in The Globe and Mail, The Architect's Newspaper, and Designlines.
Matt Grunbaum will give a talk about the design philosophy of Field Operations and some of the firm's most significant projects including the High Line at Utopian Hours 2024. The first international festival of city making in Italy, Utopian Hours highlights the ideas, projects and places that are improving life in the world’s cities with a three-day festival now in its eighth edition.
Learn more about the festival and Matt's talk here.
As part of Archtober, Field Operations will lead a Building of the Day tour for Gansevoort Peninsula with nARCHITECTS.
Hudson River Park’s Gansevoort Peninsula builds on the site’s history as part of NYC’s active waterfront, creating a more resilient urban shoreline that allows New Yorkers to reconnect and engage with the Hudson River. Inspired by community feedback, the park balances active and passive spaces for lounging, fitness, and recreation and transforms a former DSNY operations site to reflect the neighborhood’s needs, celebrate its history, and imagine a new future for the estuary.
Learn more about the tour and register on the Archtober website.
As part of Archtober, Field Operations will lead a Building of the Day tour for Domino Square with Studio Cadena.
Domino Square is a new one-acre public space that will expand the public realm along the Williamsburg waterfront and connect it more seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhood. Designed as a new civic room, the Square features welcoming and active edges with neighborhood-oriented retail and a central plaza for various events such as farmers’ markets, community gatherings, movie nights, arts and cultural performances, and ice skating in the winter.
Learn more about the tour and register on the Archtober website.
The North Brooklyn Parks Alliance will honor Field Operations and Alive Structures—as visionary landscape firms that have redefined North Brooklyn's landscape by envisioning resilient public spaces that protect and support both wildlife and human communities—at their 2024 Fall Gala on September 26. The nonprofit parks conservancy will also launch "Rewild North Brooklyn," NBK Parks' latest strategic initiative that aims to restore habitats in a rapidly developing area of Brooklyn.
"Rewilding is more than just a movement or attitude; it's a way of life. The North Brooklyn Parks Alliance's commitment to urban rewilding is essential for bringing nature into our daily lives. Their ongoing work to create and care for parks, public spaces, and green corridors that support wildlife, biodiversity, ecosystems, resilience, and communities is fostering a deeper connection with nature and each other," said Lisa Tziona Switkin, Partner at Field Operations.
Learn more about the gala in the Brooklyn Eagle and purchase tickets with NBK Parks.
James Corner will deliver a keynote on September 26 as part of Landscape Futures, a two-day event celebrating the Centennial of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Weitzman School of Design. Founding Partner and CEO of Field Operations, James has also served on the faculty since 1989 and as Professor and Chair of the Department from 2000–2012.
Learn more about the Centennial celebration and register on the Weitzman School of Design website.
Meeting up with AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee and the Cross-Learning Alliance for a bike tour of some of NYC's most intriguing projects, Cricket Day from Field Operations will lead a tour of Gansevoort Peninsula at Hudson River Park on September 14.
Learn more about the route for the bike tour and register here.
Along with Mike Lampariello from Two Trees Management and ASLA-NY, Lisa Switkin will lead a tour of Domino Square on September 12.
Domino Square, a new 1-acre public space that will expand the public realm along the Williamsburg waterfront and connect it more seamlessly with the surrounding neighborhood. Designed as a new civic room, the Square features welcoming and active edges with neighborhood-oriented retail and a central plaza for various events such as farmers’ markets, community gatherings, movie nights, arts and cultural performances, and ice skating in the winter. Field Operations and Two Trees will share insights and stories about its planning, vision, and design, alongside plans for its ongoing programming, maintenance, and operations.
Sign up for the tour on the ASLA-NY website.
The United Center Joint Venture group introduced The 1901 Project, an ambitious mixed-use development in Chicago set to transform 55 acres on the West Side. Working with the client team and city and community leaders, the design team has created a vision for a new development that bridges neighborhoods and enhances opportunities for residents, businesses, and all of Chicago.
The vision for the United Center—home to the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks—will reconnect surrounding neighborhoods and create a world-class urban coree. With over 10 acres of public space included in Phase I, The 1901 Project will connect the community with nature and further the legacy of iconic public spaces throughout the city. Paired with a new 6,000-seat music hall, hotel and retail, and reimagined parking and transportation, it envisions this neighborhood as a year-round destination to live, work, and play.
Learn more on the project website, in Bloomberg, and in the Chicago Tribune.
Colin Curley joins a team of educators and practitioners launching Hyper REAL with the University of Virginia, an innovative pilot project that brings together students and faculty from UVA's School of Architecture and the McIntire School of Commerce to explore new pedagogical models and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. Hyper REAL aims to bridge the worlds of design and real estate, providing a unique platform for students to engage with real-life challenges and contribute to the creation of vibrant, sustainable urban spaces. The project will feature a series of workshops and on-site engagements in New York, providing students with hands-on experience and professional insights.
Learn more about the team and what they're up to with the fall semester on the UVA School of Architecture website.