Water Works Park Amenities + Island Enhancements
The Fairmount Water Works project involved the redevelopment of three areas located northwest of the Philadelphia Museum of Art at the terminus of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The park includes the Italian Fountain Plaza, River’s Edge Park, as well as an island formed through the deposition of sediment where opportunistic plants have colonized an otherwise inaccessible landform. The redevelopment of the Italian Plaza included the expansion of the plaza and the associated planting, doubling the current area. The River’s Edge Park redesign consists of the realignment of the existing Schuylkill River Trail, the addition of an overlook with an adjacent stormwater infiltration garden, a monumental bench wall, and an access point out to the island. The Island development proposes a gateway bridge from the River’s Edge Park onto the island. This bridge connects the mainland to a boardwalk that overlooks the historic Philadelphia Water Works and Boathouse Row.
Completed while Landscape Architecture intern at OLIN
Photo credit: OLIN
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date: 2009-2010, on-going
Project Type: Park Development
Client: Fairmount Park Commission
Team: OLIN, Hunt Engineering, The Lighting Practice, Lynch & Associates, Habitat by Design, Bruce E. Brooks & Associates, Davis Langdon, The City of Philadelphia Public Art Office and Percent for Art Program