John Weimann’s Concept for the Entrance to Coronado
Thirteen residents provided their vision for the entrance to the city as part of a design competition conducted by the Coronado Real Estate Association (CREA). Their submissions were presented on October 2, 2014 at in the Coronado Historical Association’s Event Room at 1100 Orange Avenue.
Three Coronado students submitted their concepts along with six amateur designers and four design professionals. The winning student design was submitted by Christopher Russell. The winning amateur was John Weimann and Noryn Lau won the professional category. Each winner will receive a $500 prize. At the October 2 event, the attendees selected the design submitted by Deema Badriyha as the recipient of the “Peoples’ Choice” award.
The goal of the design competition was to increase public awareness of the city’s gateway project. The competition was kicked off at an informational meeting on August 28 and submissions were due on September 25. The designs will be provided to the city as input to its gateway project.
The city awarded a contract to the engineering firm of RBF Consulting to develop a design for improvements to the toll plaza for the San Diego-Coronado Bridge that would improve its appearance and calm traffic entering and leaving the city. The City Council established a budget of $840,000 for the project.
On September 12, 2013 the consultant’s design concept was presented at a sparsely attended public workshop. The Coronado Transportation Commission concluded that the project would not achieve its objectives because it was underfunded and too constrained by the requirements imposed on the designer by Caltrans. On the recommendation of the commission, the City Council decided not to proceed with the design and established a subcommittee consisting of council members Richard Bailey and Mike Woiwode to determine the best way forward.
Initial Design Proposed by RBF Consulting
On the recommendation of Bailey and Woiwode, at its May 20, 2014 meeting the City Council approved a follow-on contract with RBF in the amount of $76,000 to develop additional design concepts that are not constrained by a specific budget and to implement a more robust public outreach campaign. The consultant met with key stakeholders on August 6, 2014 and a public workshop is planned for late October or early November.
Design Concept Featuring Three Wave-Shaped Sculptures Submitted by Student Winner Christopher Russell
The design submitted by Russell featured three large sculptures. Weimann’s concept included “Welcome to Coronado” in large letters mounted on top of the existing toll plaza “wing.” Tiled speed bumps were included to slow traffic as it passed under the wing. The landscaping was designed to conceal the apparatus that is used to move the barrier on the bridge and abutments under the wing were painted in a tropical floral design. The design submitted by Lau included “Coronado” embedded in the handrail of walkway/observation deck that would replace the existing wing. The letters in Coronado would be handcrafted in teak wood and trimmed in aluminum. The design would include the landscaping presented by RBF in its initial design for the toll plaza.
Professional Winner Noryn Lau Discusses Her Design with Coronado Resident at October 2 Event
The design submitted by Badriyea was “intended to create an uplifting feeling.” It included a wave structure that would be integrated with the existing wing. This structure would reflect the movement of the bay that surrounds the bridge. It would be supported by a stainless steel mast and cables that would invoke a feeling of power and sturdiness while also reflecting the association of Coronado with the Navy, sailing and other water sports.
Wave Structure Proposed by People’s Choice Award Winner Deema Badriyha
Other submissions included a variety of design concepts. Several included pedestrian overpasses while others recommended water conscious landscaping and innovative lighting schemes including “Welcome to Coronado” in the form of a TV news “crawl” along the front edge of the toll booth canopy. Still others provided elaborate design elements and palettes of colors and plantings.
Left: Art Deco Design Details Proposed by Brian Kelley
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John Tato
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
