Visionary Designers See Galveston’s Future at the Seawall
HOUSTON—More than 70 people turned out for an intense, one day challenge to design a resident and tourist event space for one of Galveston Island’s busiest stretches of Seawall Boulevard. Rice Design Alliance (RDA) Partners sponsored the challenge or “charrette” to focus architects, designers, and interested community members on Galveston’s need to unite the disparate elements of history and tourism that give the island locale its distinct character.
Participants were organized into 18 teams, comprised mostly of Houston-area architects. The specific challenge was to “Think Big” and design a master plan for the vacant stretch of land between 21st and 22nd streets along Seawall Boulevard, just west of the historic Hotel Galvez. The master plan was to include a 5,000 square foot outdoor event area.
Another aspect of the design challenge was to “Build Small” within the masterplanned area and design an eco-friendly 2,000 square foot event facility with a budget of $8,000.
The team from TBG Partners and Curry Boudreaux won the Best All Around award for designing a series of concrete “pods” to provide necessary event services such as tickets and vending. The pods could be reproduced all along the seawall and withstand a hurricane.
Clark Condon and Associates won the “Think Big” award for their design of a “spiral Jetty” off the coast, which if reproduced along the island, could create pockets of activity along the length of the seawall.
Josh LaMartina, an architect on the Clark Condon team said of their winning design, “We wanted to develop something that gave people another reason to come to the beach.”
The team from Studio Red won the “Build Small” award. They designed a moveable trolley system (using shipping containers) to run along the trolley tracks and bring various cultural events to the site.
Charrette jurors evaluated entries based on the design’s overall consideration of tourists and residents; innovative site concept; integration of surrounding environment; creative and strategic use of materials; ability to meet budget; and clarity of concept. Jurors included:
• Jeri Kinnear, Galveston Park Board of Trustees
• Chula Ross Sanchez, Galveston Planning Commission
• Blair Satterfield, HouMinn
Entries from all teams were on display at the Galveston Art Walk on Saturday, August 22 at the former Big Dog Sportswear space on The Strand (2326 Strand) from 6:00-9:00 pm. A gallery of the event is below along with links to each of the participating teams’ designs. The George and Cynthia Mitchell Family graciously donated the space for the exhibition.
Kathryn Fosdick, RDA Associate Director of Programs said, “We were very happy with the attendance and the designs that came out of the Charrette. I think the subject of Galveston touched a lot of local architects in a personal way and the designs showcased that passion and interest in bringing Galveston back.”
Team 1
Team 2
Team 3
Team 4
Team 5
Team 6
Team 7
Team 8
Team 9
Team 10
Team 11
Team 12
Team 13
Team 14
Team 15
Team 16
Team 17
Team 18
Galveston Art Walk Exhibit
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