Overview
Located on a prominent bend in the San Antonio River Walk, this project was designed to create a pedestrian link between street and river levels.
The design concept literally brings the river to the street by excavating a portion of the street level and constructing a terraced water feature which recirculates water from the river to the street level and back down again. A gently curving grand stairway is suspended over the water feature. The stair is marked on each end by a circular node, forming a plaza space at street level and an ‘island’ at the river level.
The existing street level bridge over the river is reconfigured to provide a continuous light well over the river walk, creating a pedestrian bridge at street level with views to the river walk on either side. A new system of pedestrian scaled lighting traces the linkage from river to street.
An open air elevator, designed as a ‘lantern’ and recalling the architecture of the adjacent historic Casino Building, adjoins the bridge. In addition to providing an important vertical element to the overall project design, the elevator also dramatically enhances accessibility to the River Walk.
