Municipal Piers 38 & 40
Riverfront & Community Enrichment Project Devin Marie Cressman Architecture Thesis Project 2020 Advisor: Robert E. Nalls
Riverfront Experience Penn Treaty
SugarHouse Casino Dave & Buster Cavanaugh’s River Deck
Within recent years, attractions have begun to develop along the riverfront, such as revitalization of Race St and Cherry street piers, Penn’s Landing, and Harbor Park. My intention, by providing the full revitalization of piers 32 to 40, is to continue that linear destination movement South of the Ben Franklin Bridge along the Delaware River.
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Old City Piers 38 & 40 are twin buildings that reside on a single concrete base that is supported by timber piles and a reinforced concrete deck. The ends of each building, the pier houses, are the original decorative concrete structures built in 1912. The original warehouse core was removed and replaced with a steel frame warehouse around the 1950s.
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Building Design of Pier 38 and Pier 40 Public Park between Pier 38 and Pier 40 Master Plan of the revitalization of Piers 32 to 40
Site Penn’s Landing
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Proposal
Scope of Work
Morgan’s Pier
Pier 68
Harbor Park
Duration & Movement Diagram
Growing up in southeast Pennsylvania, I spent a lot of time on the Delaware River and listening to the concerts coming from, what was then, the Tweeter Center. As an adult, my husband and I are regular boaters and enjoy putting up and down the Delaware River. We spend fourth of July on the water and watch the fireworks. In recent years, however, it has become increasingly harder to get into the city by boat. There are only two marinas (Pier 3 Marina and Penn’s Landing Marina) with limited space availability.
I am proposing to revitalize piers 32 to 40 along the Delaware River in Philadelphia with a focus on Pier 38 and Pier 40. By revitalizing these piers, I am seeking to create a place that not only provides an opportunity for boaters to enter the city but to draw people back to the waterfront.
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Site Analysis Columbus Blvd and I-95 create a linear division line that separates Philadelphia from the waterfront, leaving the waterfront as an isolated entity from the city with limited pedestrian access. For the Delaware Riverfront to be successful, it needs to be an attraction that maintains people for an extended period throughout the day.
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Philadelphia was founded in 1682 along the Delaware River and planned by William Penn. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, ferries carried passengers across the river to growing towns in southern New Jersey. Shipments of various goods, such as cotton, liquor, and sugar, were imported into the city by boat, and the Dock Street Markets were supplied by the produce being brought up the river. The Delaware River was the primary import center for nearly over two centuries. With the growth of the automobile industry during the Second Industrial Revolution, the waterfront ultimately became abandoned.
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HISTORY
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Chicago Riverwalk • Chicago, IL 1. There is constant activity around the site due to easy accessibility from the city 2. There are attractions, such as retail, restaurants, and the water that draw people to the site 3. A large walkway allows for movement through the site while also not interfering with those resting 4. There are no barriers between the river and the user 5. Docking is available along the edge of the site with easy accessibility to site activity
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1. The connection bridges between the piers provide easy accessibility to allow users to go from one pier to another 2. The most user interaction is at the restaurants and retail Note: Urban planning research has shown that people are more likely to use a space if the space is already inhabited. The concentration of the people on the site is focused at the restaurants and retail because there is a steady flow of people coming and going for shopping and dining.
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Inner Harbor • Baltimore, MD
The initial approach I took for the revitalization of Piers 32 to 40 were based off items I learned from the case studies and urban planning research. Concentrating on the overall master plan of the site, I broke it into two focuses, the user movement around the site and the site program. Site Circulation I wanted the movement around the site to be free and flexible for the user. The Delaware River Bike Trail (red line) comes up along Columbus Blvd and wraps around the perimeter of the piers. There is circulation along the edges of the piers with the large gathering space between Pier 38 and Pier 40 offering full movement within the space. A linear, horizontal, axis break through all the piers and providing a physical and visual connect through the site.
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Site Program Dock
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Harbor Park • Philadelphia, PA 1. The fountain provides an attraction to the area that allows the users to interact with 2. Walls and edges are designed to allow people to use them are seating at various levels 3. Small picnic tables are provided for people to move and use as they wish 4. Hammocks are fixed fixtures that allow individuals to rest with the space 5. Color and lighting provide a visual energy to the site to enhance the user experience
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I chose to provide a residential component to Pier 38. Urban planning research has shown that people are drawn to people. By providing the residential component, I am guaranteeing a constant movement of people around the site. The large space between Pier 38 and Pier 40 will be a public green space to provide a flexible park that allows users to rest and use as they want. Boat slips at the end of the pier provide accessibility to the site and interaction with the water. Retail and restaurants are focused towards the north end of the site to continue the commercial connection with Race Street and Cherry Street Piers, Penn’s Landing, and Harbor Park.
3 Note: The map diagrams are showing different site designs based off
Design Review Focus Due to the size of the site (Piers 32 to 40) I decided to focus on Pier 38 and Pier 40. Piers 32 to 36 would be incorporated into the overall Master Plan of the site, but the residential and public park will be the detailed focus of the design. Design Approach I chose to remove the warehouse core and keep the shell of the original concrete pier houses to maintain the historical aspect of the buildings and how they connect to the city. The ground floor of Pier 38 and Pier 40 would be parking with residential apartments above. The existing pier houses would be commercial with mercantile on the ground floor and offices on the following floors. The existing warehouse that is being removed is approximately 170 feet wide. The apartments would consist of a uniform layout that alternates between one and two-bedroom units. By anchoring the apartments on the perimeter of the space, I provided a central open air courtyard for the residents.
Typical Apartment Layout
Typical Residential Floor Level Plan
Typical Ground Floor Parking Plan
Master Plan The master plan would consist of utilizing the existing footprint of all 5 piers. Piers 32 & 36 to be commercial with small courtyards for public use. Pier 34 collapsed after a fire in 2000 and will need to be rebuilt. My design for this pier is to make it the marina for boaters coming down the Delaware River. The public park between Pier 38 and Pier 40 would incorporate a water feature that allows for user interaction. Green space would be provided to offset the structural massing of the site. Vehicular access to the garages would be form the center to allow for the most usable space in the pier houses for the retail.
Design Development #1 Comments from Design Review
Design Approach
1. The courtyard is large and does not Structure demonstrate the intended intimate The ground floor of the building will be space supported by columns that utilize the 2. Show furniture within the apartment footings from the existing structural grid with a podium to support the floors above. plans to show scale and function The second, third, and fourth floors will 3. It will be difficult to place new footings be traditional wood frame construction within the piers for new column grid. for residential buildings and provide a low Look at reusing the existing structural carbon footprint for sustainability. grid Floor Plans 4. The ground floor is prime tenant space. Is it necessary for the parking to take up I chose to turn the residential level of the building into an asymmetrical space and the entire floor? wrap the apartments 360 degrees around the perimeter of the center courtyard. Comment Response Vegetation, such as trees, bushes, and grass, 1. Reduced the width of the courtyard and cover the courtyard and work to enhance an provided private patios to the adjacent intimate space for the residents. units 2. Provided furniture for scale and to Faรงade proposed function The exterior skin of the structure between 3. Analyzed the original structural grid of the pier houses will be a triple-pane low-e the existing warehouse and incorporate glazing. My providing a curtain wall to the faรงade, I am aiming to imply the history of the it into the design 4. Pulled the parking into the center of the building and that it was once a warehouse.
Courtyard Plan 1 Bedroom Apartment Main Level
Lofted 1 Bedroom Apartment
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building and programmed retail around the perimeter
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Lofted 2 Bedroom Apartment
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Second Level Floor Plan 1 Hour Fire-Rated Wood Construction
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Design Development #2 Comments from Design Development #1 1. The courtyard is rather tight and brings the apartment too close together 2. The apartments could use more finetuning and would benefit with balconies 3. There is a lot of commercial space on the site. There is more than what would be practical for this location 4. Having the faรงade be completely glass will affect the thermal insulation of the spaces Comment Response 1. I reduced the depth of the apartment units and widened the courtyard 2. I incorporated balconies and focused on redesigning the apartment units 3. I generated a program rule that all ground floor spaces that border the water will be residential apartments and all units that border the public park and Columbus Boulevard will be commercial 4. I kept the glass skin on the faรงade but held it on the exterior of the balconies with operable window to create a green house space that opened to the Delaware River or Public Park
Design Approach Second Level Floor Plan I chose to break the apartment buildings on the second floor further to visually enhance the idea that they are separate buildings from one another. With the new program rule that I created for Pier 38 and Pier 40, I took the east end pier house and opened it up to renovate into apartments. Apartment Floor Plans Due to the number of units on the floor, I chose to focus on a cluster of four and use it as a typical floor plan scheme for all of the apartments within the north and south end buildings that are not attached to the pier houses. The riverside units have balconies that are angled to direct attention up the Delaware River. The kitchen, powder room, and closets are focused under the loft, leaving the living space open with a two-story window looking outwards. The courtyard units are offset from one another with alternating facades to generate a sense of individuality between the apartments.
Typical Apartment Floor Plans
Second Level Floor Plan - Residential Floor
Exterior Courtyard Facade Rendering
Faรงade Maintaining the design intent of having the perimeter of the building be primarily glass to imply the history of the warehouse, I chose to have the building facades within the courtyard mimic the design of rowhouses. I offset each unit from one another and alternated the faรงade material to create a visual sense of individuality between the apartment units.
Sustainability Building Diagram Interior Apartment View Looking Out
Exterior Courtyard Facade Elevation Exterior Building Facade Elevation
Pier 38 and Pier 40 Axonometric View
Final Design Municipal Piers 38 & 40 Site Plan
Design Development #2 Design Approach • Public Park I wanted the park to be a pocket of experiences. I decided to break it into grid that worked to both create smaller parks within the whole and allow for different events to happen at the same time. Large platforms at different elevations provide areas that allow users to be within the space but also separate them from it. A water feature within the center of the park provides a drawl for user and encouraging people to move from the perimeter to the center space.
I chose to reanalyze the site plan and instead of having the entrance to the parking garage cut into the public park, I kept the original access to the site off Christian Street and Columbus Boulevard. The existing loop will service as a drop off point for people coming to the site. I am not proposing any significant redesign of this area apart from new landscape and site-work. New sidewalk cuts at the center of the pier houses will offer direct access in and out of the garages without disturbing the park. The Public Park Site Design
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The public park is broken into 7 unique components: 1. Along the perimeter of the park (following my planned building program) the adjacent ground floor tenant spaces will be mercantile. In order to differentiate the façade for the commercial from the residential above, I recessed the façade of the commercial spaces a few feet and angled the walls to give each potential tenant its own designated entrance point while also breaking from the flat face of the residential units above. 2. At the west end near Columbus Blvd., dense shade trees provide an isolated, intimate, area for people to escape the sun and give them the opportunity to people watch and/or enjoy nature. I provided a visual axis through the center of the site by offsetting the trees slightly, allowing for a direct view from one end of the pier to the other. 3. A larger open field for various uses, such as for a small concert, movie under the stars, or simply an open landscape for kids to play in is designed right off the shaded area. I am focusing the heavily green components of the park on the opposite side of the site from the Delaware River for a contrast of earth to water. 4. The central moment within the park is the fire pit. Much like water, people are drawn to fire. I designed a large gathering space with a fire pit, similar to what are used at sky-resorts, as a destination point within the center of the park because I wanted to provide an area for people to gather that was not clustered along the perimeter. 5. A linear walkway leads directly from the firepit straight to the water’s edge. Because my goal is to draw people back to the waterfront, I wanted people to be able to interact with water. So, between the firepit and the water’s edge, I created an interactive fountain similar to that at Dilworth Plaza within the city. 6. Just west of the fountain is a parasol covered seating area allowing people to escape the sun but be near the water. By using parasol sunshades, I am leaving the area visually light and limiting the use of a mass to provide shelter from the sun. 7. The very edge of the site is a tiered area with a mid-landing that leads down to a floating dock. This area allows people to get as close to the water’s edge of possible, while providing a place for boaters to tie-off of as they come down the river to enter the city.
View 1 - Perimeter Walk
View 2 - Central Axis Through Site
View 3 - Shaded Tree Area
View 4 - Open Field
View 5 - Fire Pit
View 6 - Sun Shade
View 7 - Fountain
View 8 - Water’s Edge
Delaware River
Ground Level Floor Plan Design Building Program Following the rule I generated for Design Development #2, the perimeter of the building that abuts the waterfront will be residential, and the perimeter of the building that abuts the sidewalk and public park will be commercial. The levels that are not at grade, will be residential with an internal courtyard. The one exception is the west end pier house that will vary from this rule slightly.
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Commercial Residential Egress Utility
Ground Level Floor Plan Design
Each pier house will have 2 means of egress within a fire-rated area that discharges directly out to the public way. In the west end pier house along Columbus Blvd there are two lobbies that will act as a residential and an office lobby respectively for the floors above. On the perimeter of the parking, along the ground floor residentials units, I provide privacy walls that help with the visual separation of the parking to the apartments.
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True to the building program. The ground floor will be 50% commercial, mercantile along Columbus Blvd and the public park. The other 50% will be residential along the water’s edge. Parking for the building residents will reside within the center of the building and utilize the existing access opening in the west end pier house with the new sidewalk cut directly off of Columbus Blvd. Storage units along the perimeter of the parking are available to building residents.
Storage
Structural Design Because I am utilizing the existing footings, I am looking at 42’x42’ bays. Due to the large bay size, and the load that it needs to support from the floors above, I chose a 2-way waffles slab that will have a depth of 21”.
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Second Level Floor Plan Design
Apartment Floor Plans
The second floor is fully residential except for the area inside of the west end pier house. This area is an unprogrammed open space that I intend to utilize as a flexible shared office to create a live work opportunity for the residents.
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Utilizing the piers houses as book ends, the east and west-end buildings are designed out of the form of the existing pier houses. The north and south-end buildings are mirrors of one another and border the waterfront and public park, respectively. By breaking the area into 4, I created a small neighborhood on the secondfloor structure of Pier 38, and instead of having a heavy, massive, structure, I now have 4 individual buildings with a central community space.
Apartment Design
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A standard design aspect of all four apartments is a 2-story open ceiling concept. The main floor has a living and dining area that is open above with the kitchen, storage, and half-bath resting under the loft. A balcony or patio is right off the living space overlooking the river and courtyard respectively, and a large floor to ceiling window provides direct and uninterrupted views outwards.
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Third Floor The third floor is a copy of the second, except for the direct access to the courtyard below. The apartments that frame the central walk do not have balconies like they do on the second floor. Instead, I provided Juliet balconies that have doors opening to the courtyard below.
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Courtyard Design The internal courtyard on the second floor is an intimate private space for the residents with patio areas for the bordering apartments. A visual axis runs directly from the west end pier house to the east end pier house, with recessed cover courtyards and large community balconies above. The faรงade material within the courtyard is red brick to offer a different feel from the warehouse aesthetic along the exterior of Pier 38. The black stone from the Pier 38 perimeter faรงade is used in the raised planters as an accent features to help tie the whole system together.
After analyzing the apartments, I decided to create four units that range from studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom apartments. Between two units resides a utility closet that caters to those two respective apartments. A water heater and electrical panel for each unit reside within the closet and has direct access from the hallway for any necessary maintenance.
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Typical Apartment Floor Plans
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Roof Plan Design
Exterior Building Facade
The roof for Pier 38 is broken into several components. The roofs for north and south-end buildings are not for common use and are for equipment only. The roofs for the east and west-end buidlings (the pier house roofs) are accessible from the balconies on the third floor and provide a flex space that could have multiple uses. I have pre-programmed a community vegetable garden, ivy cover trellises for sunshade, and sitting areas that are broken into smaller pockets by raised planters.
The faรงade of the new structure inbetween the pier houses consists of a curtain wall system that reflects the history that there was a warehouse once here. Black stone with wood panels within the recessed areas along the faรงade contrast the existing pier house that bookend the building. I also anchored each egress of the building on the ends and left the center space to the apartments. I did this to help create a visual break along the faรงade that works to emphasize the north and south-end buildings as a separate identity to the pier house buildings. 0
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Overall Site Plan & Piers 32, 34, & 36 Delaware River
A perimeter boardwalk wraps around Pier 38 and Pier 40, connecting piers 32, 34, and 36 by a bridge leading off of the center of the north end of Pier 38 to the east end of Pier 36. 32 | Commercial ThePier master plan of Piers 32 & 36 are be • 28,500 sf 100%Area commercial with small courtyards Proposed Number of Tenants • 20 (1 / 1,400 SF) that overlook the Delaware River. Pier 36Pier would be 2 stories with ground floor 34 | Marina public parking Area • 8,000that SF would server the entire site.Marina Pier 34 collapsed after a fire in 2000 Features Public Restrooms and will need to be rebuilt. Assuming the Tourist Center will be used, my design existing footprint Baitpier and Tackle for this is to make it the marina for Refueling Station boaters coming down the Delaware River Repair Center and provide Showersa&variety Laundryof features. 57 Boat Slips Slips 1 - 32 | 34’ x 34’ Slips 33 - 38 | 34’ x 60’ Slips 39 - 57 | 42’ x 60’ Pier 36 | Commercial & Garage Ground Floor Garage Area • 50,000 SF Second Floor Commercial Area • 35,000 SF Proposed Number of Tenants • 25 (1 / 1,400 SF)
Thoughts Based on Final Review Feedback 1. The fountain at the public park does not need to take up the entire width of the park. I could look at provide another feature at the corner next to the fountain 2. Some of the bedroom in the apartment to not have natural lighting. I could look at transom windows or solar tubes to provide more lighting 3. Some of the facades on the residential floors are empty of ornamentation. I could look at windows or different material pattern to keep them from looking flat 4. The layout of the mechanical units on the roof could use further development
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Pier 32 | Commercial Area • 28,500 sf Proposed Number of Tenants • 20 (1 / 1,400 SF) Pier 34 | Marina Area • 8,000 SF Marina Features Public Restrooms Tourist Center Bait and Tackle Refueling Station Repair Center Showers & Laundry
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57 Boat Slips Slips 1 - 32 | 34’ x 34’ Slips 33 - 38 | 34’ x 60’ Slips 39 - 57 | 42’ x 60’
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Pier 36 | Commercial & Garage Ground Floor Garage Area • 50,000 SF Second Floor Commercial Area • 35,000 SF Proposed Number of Tenants • 25 (1 / 1,400 SF)
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