BIG, a Wave of Concrete, Steel, and Lights

It is an interesting quirk of human nature that we adore water. The fact that fountains are popular in every culture and that waterfalls are universally adored are both evidence of this. It’s no surprise that many artists attempt to capture the flowing beauty of water in their art.

When Florida’s St. Petersburg held a competition to determine winning design for one of their piers, the BIG design team made waves with their ocean-inspired design. Their design entails a complete redevelopment of the pier, which will eventually enable them to build a massive wave-shaped structure. The design is a bit like an enormous O, except that the vertical portions of the building are skewed to replicate a cresting wave.

The structure isn’t all for looks. Visitors would be able to enter and climb up through the multiple levels of the bizarrely shaped building. The unique shape will require some creativity when deciding what sort of facilities to place within it, but the designers already have a few features in mind. They intend to add a rock climbing wall, pools, steam baths, and (appropriately) an artificial wave pool for surfers.

On top of all that, the designers want to make the project as green as possible in order to achieve LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Not only are the designers going to use as much preexisting infrastructure as possible, but they also intend to recycle demolition waste to help make artificial reefs. The wave structure will also use a water cooling system, solar power, and a number of other high tech green gizmos to make the structure as self-sufficient and green as possible.