Excellence on the Waterfront Awards 2010
Project Honor Award Park/Walkway/Recreational
Red Ribbon Tanghe River Park, Quinghuangdao City, Hebei Province, China
Submitted by
Turenscape, Beijing, China
LinaYang/Peng Yun, Landscape Bureau, Quinghuangdao City, Hebei Province, China
The jury recognized this as an artful transformation of a former garbage dump with minimal intervention into the landscape and as much preservation of the natural river corridor as possible. The signature red ribbon is a vivid unifying element made of fiber steel. It stands 60 centimeters high and runs 500 meters to provide lighting, seating, environmental interpretation, environmental orientation, and breaks for animal crossings. Plants grow in strategically placed holes. Four pavilions comprise part of the ribbon, along with perennial flower gardens of white, yellow, purple and blue plants.
Excellence on the Waterfront
2010 Jury Statement
This 2010 year's awards jury found many encouraging features among the strong field of 57 plans and projects, namely a preoccupation with recycling of former site elements, infrastructure issues (e.g. flooding and water management) and sustainable design concepts and implementation practices. Constructively reusing old industrial sites such as Ballast Point in Sydney, the Top Honor Award recipient, and Erie Basin in Brooklyn, are examples. In each case industrial heritage is celebrated through the reprogramming of sites and the reuse of materials. The jury believes this an important message to waterfront communities where, in some cases, the temptation to obliterate the industrial past is strong. A number of entries demonstrated new approaches, or at least heightened attention, to flooding issues. The redesign of a seawall in Blackpool, U.K., that had severed the city from its beach redefined the city's relationship with its waters. The wall was taken down and replaced with graceful steps fully capable of withstanding storm waters, steps that now actively invite access to the beach. A community boathouse in Hartford, Connecticut, invites constant use of the river but is completely 'floodable' at any time. Sustainability, while not a new term nor a unique theme for Waterfront Center entries, is imbedded in all of this year's entries.
For example, Shoelace Park along the Bronx River in New York includes storm water and floodplain resource management elements. The San Francisco South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project focuses on massive revegetation of the site. Sustainable practices are also a feature of Ballast Point Park in Sydney.
Lastly, many of the 2010 entries include kids enjoying themselves. What better way to embrace excellence on the waterfront ... a hopeful future.
The Excellence on the Waterfront Awards program was initiated in 1987 through grants from the Design Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Marine Manufacturers Association. The honor awards were developed to recognize high quality design and development work. Entries are accepted from around the world for plans, built projects and student submissions. The Center also recognizes citizen efforts through the Clearwater Award.
Criteria
An interdisciplinary jury of professional planners, designers, city officials, and community, business and development representatives determines the awards using the following qualitative criteria：
1．Sensitivity to water
How does the entry make use of the waterfront and its water and land resources?
How does it provide active public enjoyment of the waterfront? How does it provide physical and visual access to and along the waterfront?
2．Quality and harmony of design
How does the project respond to the natural and manmade surroundings? How does it incorporate and celebrate unique historic and cultural features of the community? How does it meet human scale needs?
3．Civic contribution
HOW does the project contribute to the economy of the community, boost civic pride or otherwise positively affect the area?
4．Environmental contribution
What environmental values are stressed and how?
5．Educational contribution
HOW does the project or effort interpret the area’s waterfront heritage and natural resources?
The Clearwater Awards, honor volunteer and grassroots achievements, are selected by the directors of The Waterfront Center
The 2010 Jury
Fran Hegeler, Chair of the Jury, senior director/development manager, AECOM.
San Francisco, California
Peter Brink, Former vice president fc programs, National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Norwich, Vermont
Jane Jacobsen,Executive director, The Confluence Project
Vancouver, Washington
Jonathan Goldstick, Maritime development director, HALCROW
New York, New York
Dave Mathewson, Director of planning and research Port of Los Angeles
San Pedro, California
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