PULSE seeks to build on Chicago’s diverse character by creating active spaces that attract all Chicagoans and bring new life to the riverfront.
PULSE creates a dynamic and energetic river edge that enhances the city’s sense of self through multipurpose networks and dedicated spaces to play, explore, and move.
PULSE reinvigorates the city in fluidity, reviving a river forgotten, and defibrillating a heart that needs new life.
The interconnected, sweeping forms that serve as the framework of PULSE—in vertical and horizontal planes—represent synthesis, balance, and rhythm. Three primary conduits create the skeleton; the Speed Trail serves as a high-paced, adrenaline-inducing path for bikers, runners, and other fast-moving human-powered movements; the Adventure Trail is a dynamic, interactive path that encourages activity through engagement and play; and the Leisure Trail is a laid-back path for walkers, observers, and amblers. These trails not only provide access to and through the three sites, but act as the circulatory system of the city, a medium for restoring and sustaining Chicago’s heartbeat.
Acknowledgements: Hana Ishikawa, Brad McCauley, Ernest Wong, Yuki Takeshima, Meng Samantha Shui, Jiajing Chen, David Qiran Zhang, Jenna Jones, Cory Seeger (HomeMakeLabs)
site design group, ltd. (site) is an award-winning landscape architecture and urban design firm based in Chicago. As landscape architects, urban designers, ecologists, and architects, we are innovative creative-thinkers. We are enlivened by our surroundings and strive to produce creative spaces that inspire, restore, and bring communities together. With every project and every client, we strive to think outside the box to engage and excite people with who we are and what we do. We are constantly looking to other disciplines and new collaborators for unique ideas, new materials, and leading-edge technologies to improve the way we work and play.
Field Museum Of Natural History, Positioning Pullman, North Branch Chicago River, Dorchester Art + Housing Collaborative, South Grant Park Master Plan, McCormick Place, Ping tom Memorial Park.
