Presidio Tunnel Tops: From Concept to Reality

LOCATION: The Studio

Presentation followed by wine reception

Free admission; registration required

Join us for a special presentation by Richard Kennedy, RLA, lead designer for the Presidio Tunnel Tops parklands, in conjunction with the exhibition, “Presidio Tunnel Tops: San Francisco Like you’ve Never Seen it Before” in The Studio at the Marin Art & Garden Center.

James Corner Field Operations – the firm behind New York’s High Line – was selected as the lead designer in 2014.  For the next year, staff engaged in a public outreach effort that helped shape the design.  Groundbreaking is anticipated in 2018.

Landscape architect Richard Kennedy, who heads the San Francisco design offices of Field Operations, will describe the design process for this ambitious and unprecedented project, and the input received from the community that helped shape the design.  The new parkland includes a significant area devoted to a natural playground, called “Playscape.” In it, old and new ways of play are brought together in a dynamic exploration of the natural landscape by the San Francisco Bay.

This talk is open to the public and admission is free, but registration is required and seating is limited.

The presentation will be followed by a wine reception and an opportunity to take a closer look at the exhibition. This exhibition and special lecture are presented through the generosity of the Presidio Trust and with the participation of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy.

More about Richard Kennedy:

Leading many of Field Operations’ most important public realm and urban design projects, Richard Kennedy is widely regarded as one of the field’s most effective designers.  With over 15 years of professional experience, Richard is currently leading the design of Pier 70, a 28-acre mixed-use development and waterfront park in San Francisco; London’s Battersea Power Station Redevelopment “Rooftop Gardens;” and Dubai’s Creek Harbor Development in addition to the Presidio Tunnel Tops.

Prior to joining Field Operations, Richard worked with Hargreaves Associates in San Francisco on various international design projects including the Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Facility and South Lake Union Waterfront Park in Seattle; and 555 Mission Street Plaza in San Francisco.

Richard holds a Master of Landscape Architecture with Distinction from Harvard University, where he was awarded the Jacob Weidenmann Prize for Excellence in Design; and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Cornell University.  He has taught and lectured at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design and other design institutions.

For more information about the Presidio Tunnel Tops, go to www.PresidioTunnelTops.org.