The selection committee looking to revamp the St. Petersburg waterfront has narrowed down the list of potential Pier design teams to eight.
Three Bay area companies have already made the cut, including the St. Pete Design Group (Salvador Dali Museum), Alfonso Architects of Tampa and ahha! Design Group, based in St. Petersburg.
The eight companies left in the running to design and build a new pier will each receive $30,000 to produce a design concept.
Pier Selection Chairman Mike Connley said the group presents a nice mix from which to choose a design.
"To range from an international flavor to a national flavor to a local flavor with mixtures therein in terms in the makeups of the staff and the sub consultants, and in terms of the concepts to be submitted, we expect even greater diversity," said Connley.
The companies are:
- St. Pete Design Group, the designer of the original inverted pyramid
- Alfonso Architects of Tampa, whose team that includes Dale Chihuly
- ahha! Design Group, a St. Petersburg architectural company
- FR-EE, an international firm
- Chicago's Ross Barney Architects
- ASD, Roger Partners and Ken Smith Landscape
- VOA, which is based in Orlando
- W Architecture and Landscape Architecture of New York
Most of the finalists said they would renovate the existing pier. Two of the companies, ahha! Design Group and Alfonso Architects said they would build a new pier.
The companies were not required to show renderings of their designs. Presentations of the designs will come in December.
The public will have a chance to weigh in before Mayor Rick Kriseman is given a final recommendation from the pier committee.
The entire new pier project is expected to cost about $46 million.