Last week, the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, in partnership with the Philadelphia International Airport, announced the five finalists selected to compete in the redesign of the 130-acre landscape surrounding the airport.
The competition, announced at the beginning of June, asked landscape architects to conceive of an “Image Maker” landscape that leaves a memorable and lasting impression on the city’s visitors. The landscape design would offer a chance to showcase Philadelphia as “America’s Garden Capital,” as well as create a more sustainable landscape for the major transportation hub.
The finalists are:
Of High Line (New York City) and Navy Yards (Philadelphia) acclaim, James Corner Field Operations wrote that they intended to create a design “environmentally and horticulturally extraordinary, reflective of the diverse identity of the city, feasible, phase-able and achievable.”
The only Philadelphia-based firm of the selection, OLIN has previously designed Bryant Park, revamped the plaza at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, landscaped Grace Farms in rural Connecticut, and participated in many other high-profile projects.
Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects
This New York-based firm is known for their work on Edward W. Kane Park at the University of Pennsylvania, and have done extensive work throughout the New York metropolitan region, including the Governors Island Park and public space. The firm was also collaborating with Heatherwick Studio on the recently killed Pier 55 project.
A Dutch firm with offices in New York and Belgium, West 8 is familiar with airport design, having done a similar revamp for Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in 1992.
A niche firm from Arlington, Virginia, Phyto Studio aims to honor Philadelphia’s “gutsy, gritty, and revolutionary spirit” in their design. They have completed small-scale projects for botanical gardens, residential properties, and public infrastructure across the country.
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Each team will receive a stipend of $20,000 to develop a plan and budget for the challenge. The final designs will be showcased at the Philadelphia Horticultural Society’s annual Flower Show from March 3 – 11, 2018, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center at 12th and Arch Streets in Philadelphia. The winning design will then help to raise funds and take further steps in implementing the project.
