Bay Ferries Gateway Landscape: The Focal Plane

The passenger ferry terminal in west Saint John, NB, is for many both a first impression and a parting image of the City. At present, the asphalt parking lot and vehicular queue dominates the landscape, which includes a little-known stretch of publicly accessible beach, and a unique vantage point for viewing Partridge Island and the Bay of Fundy. Bay Ferries engaged Brackish in 2023 to prepare a conceptual vision for a gateway landscape, which would provide opportunities for visitors to get out of their cars and engage with the water’s edge while waiting to board, but would also help tell the rich histories of Saint John through an interpretive landscape. Geometries of the main site moves imagine a conceptual imprint of the focal plane of the Partridge Island lighthouse, as it passes over the site. The focal plane sets up a highly sculpted topographic move that emphasizes view planes toward the water, and carves out access down to the beach. Alongside the vehicular queuing areas, a series of plazas, seating areas, playground, and rain garden activate the edge of the gateway site, drawing people out of their cars to explore this underused piece of Saint John’s shoreline.

LOCATION
Saint John, NB

CLIENT
Bay Ferries