Project Description
For years, San Diegans have observed airplanes overhead at the San Diego International Airport. Often, locals will stand on top of their cars or peer onto the runway with only a single security fence separating them from the action. Recently, the Airport Authority has designated a half-acre park area to satisfy the local fascination with aerospace. The park is designed as a landform that has the appearance of “flight take-off” and has a similar structure to that of an airplane just before flight. The angled landform is 16 feet higher on the south end than the existing grade and offers a close-up view of the airplanes.
The landform is divided down the middle into two sections: airside and landside. The airside “wing” is a cantilevered element that extends over the ground plane. This observation area is planted with a variety of native grasses and offers the park user an area to sit and watch the airplanes as they ascend and descend. The landside has a variety of native trees, shrubs, and ground cover edged with a wide walkway and custom benches on the west side. The grade change is accommodated by a series of gabions. The park also provides a shuttle stop for the general public to access Terminal 1 and 2, as well as San Diego’s mass transit, Amtrak and Coaster.