Studio Gang and SCAPE Reveal New Design for Tom Lee Park
May 20, 2020
Today, Studio Gang and SCAPE unveiled their concept design for Tom Lee Park, in collaboration with the Memphis River Parks Partnership. Reconnecting the Mississippi River to the city of Memphis, the design creates 30 acres of vibrant and flexible spaces where community life can flourish along the water’s edge.
The park’s design is informed by the dynamic patterns of flow that are so characteristic of the Mississippi, whose winding oxbows and other features have etched the region over time. Capturing the sense of motion and change that the river exemplifies, new architecture and landscape work together to guide people into and through the park to explore and enjoy their local ecology.
“Just like this region has been shaped by the Mississippi, our design for Tom Lee Park has been shaped by the input of the many Memphians who have graciously shared their knowledge, ideas, and dreams with us. This new park is meant to be a place where everyone can come to enjoy their favorite activities and to take in the natural wonders of the Mississippi. Embracing the local know-how that characterized the working waterfront structures that operated here for so long, the architecture is designed to celebrate the material history of Memphis by making new use of salvaged wood and metals.”
Related
Daily Memphian — "Tom Lee Park Design Retooled"
“An expanded area honoring the legacy of park namesake Tom Lee would join a centrally located cluster of multipurpose athletic courts and a nature area with a tower on the river at the 30-acre park’s south end.”
The Architect's Newspaper — "2019 AN Best of Design Awards"
Five Studio Gang projects were selected for the 2019 AN Best of Design Awards.
Memphis Flyer — "Riverfront Reboot: New leaders and New Plans for Memphis' Waterfront"
“To transform the flat, wide-open park…MRPP picked Studio Gang and SCAPE… to help the park ‘reach its full civic potential.'”
Dezeen — "Studio Gang unveils redesign of Memphis waterfront Tom Lee Park"
“Studio Gang has revealed plans to overhaul a park on Memphis’ Mississippi River, which include building a plant-covered viewing tower, bulbous stoney structures, and a gridded canopy for basketball.”