Three finalists advance in waterfront design competition

An ad hoc committee has picked three finalists to move forward in a design competition to rethink the Lake Monona waterfront between Olin Park and Williamson Street, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. The 13-member committee has chosen Agency Landscape + Planning of Cambridge, Massachusetts; James Corner Field Operations of New York; and Sasaki of Denver. The finalists were chosen from a field of 14 firms. The competition aims to shape a master plan for 1.7 miles of shoreline and 17 acres of parkland including Law Park, the John Nolen Drive causeway, and the northern part of Olin Park. The master plan parameters include a better connection between the Capitol Square and neighborhoods to the lake, improvement of water quality and aquatic habitat, a celebration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural legacy, and preservation of the lake’s cultural history. The city will now negotiate contracts with the three finalists on a scope of services guiding the process for producing preliminary plans.