West 8 wins Fort Mason Design Competition

On the 19th of December, Fort Mason Center announced that West 8 has won the design competition for the 13-acre waterfront campus in San Francisco.  The three-month long competition sought creative and practical design concepts to further enliven and integrate the site. The design will enable Fort Mason Center to realize its full potential, both as a vital and stimulating location for arts and culture, and as an attractive destination for enjoyment of the site.

West 8 was selected from an initial list of 15 firms that in July expressed interest in the ideas competition.

West 8’s design calls for seven key strategies that bolster and preserve Fort Mason’s legacy and military identity while activating the water’s edge, improving pedestrian access and parking, and enlivening spaces for expanded public programming and arts. Pier One is reinvented as a publicly accessible art-oriented hotel, while the other buildings diversify programming to create a robust cultural destination centered around lively public plazas.  Waterside improvements bring wooden decks, floating pontoons, and bridges that weave the site together, bring people to the water’s edge, and showcase amazing views of the shore and Bay.

“West 8 and their team demonstrated a deep appreciation of our heritage and a unique vision for our future,” said Rich Hillis, the center’s executive director.  “We are excited to begin working with West 8 to ensure the sustainability of Fort Mason Cetner for the next 35 years.” 

For more information, please see the San Francisco Chronicle and www.fortmason.org.