Sometimes growth requires stepping outside your comfort zone and having faith in your passions.
It all began with an idea sparked by an RFP to design St. Petersburg Florida’s Tropicana Field’s 86-acre development to push my creative talents to the limits. The Tropicana Field project has an underlining goal of honoring a displaced community that resided in the Gas Plant district of St. Petersburg, Florida. The goals were simple and the task was monumental however there was nothing to lose. I exercised my admiration for architecture and tackled the beast of delivering a proposal to design buildings, create 3D models, write a proposal, and coordinate suppliers to develop a fiscal budget.
Answering the call of requirements.
Design principles and thinking were my guides as I designed hotels, luxury residences, and a 100k square foot conference center as per the requirements of the RFP. The RFP also requested an innovations laboratory, educational, low-income housing, healthcare center, retail spaces, commercial space, and more. All RFP requirements were included and accounted for in the preliminary drawings for the proposal. The proposed masterplan mission included community concerns and honored those requests with innovative, affordable, and achievable solutions.
Walk this way.
A looping raised pathway provides the public with an infinity health-conscious walkway framed with photovoltaic solar glass panels which will double as safety handrails. The panels capture solar power used to supplement the lighting and electrical needs of Tropicana Fields public spaces. St. Petersburg, Florida has an above-average sunny environment providing a consistent energy source.
Repurposing the past.
As an added bonus a memorial design and public art space added a feature to entice tourist and community engagement. The community spaces can pay homage by converting the old Gas Plant used for energy storage into an electric producing plant that produces energy. The fun and function aspect of adding a wind turbine will capture the city’s 12 mph average wind speed. The converted electricity offers a renewable power source shared by the surrounding low-income neighborhoods and Tropicana Field.
Play Ball!
A 30,000 occupancy open-air stadium was designed and proposed for the Tampa Bay Rays professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida a major component of the RFP.
