ST. PETERSBURG, FL (July 29, 2011) - As St. Petersburg hosts an international design competition for a new landmark Pier, today a juried panel narrowed the list of preliminary design teams to nine semi-finalists. The city received 23 inquiries from design teams who responded to the city's solicitation for qualified teams who wished to submit concepts for the competition.

Today, the jury selected by City Council that reflects a diverse range of expertise and perspectives evaluated the preliminary solicitations. The jury includes Stanley Saitowitz, a South African architect and an architecture professor from University of California, Berkeley; James Moore, PhD, a Tampa-based urban designer and former architecture and design professor at USF; Susan Fainstein, PhD, a Harvard University urban design professor; City Council Member Leslie Curran and Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch.

The nine design teams selected to continue in the design competition include: BIG, lead designer Bjarke Ingels of New York; Farshid Moussavi Architecture, lead designer Farshid Moussavi of London; Frederic Schwartz Architects, lead designer Frederic Schwartz of New York; HOK, lead designer Yann Weymouth of Tampa; James Corner Field Operation, lead designer James Corner of New York; Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc., lead designer Michael Maltzan of Los Angeles;  WEISS/MANFREDI, lead designer Weiss/Manfredi of New York; West 8 Urban Design, lead designer Adriaan Geuze of New York; and !melk urban design, lead designer Jerry Van Eyck of New York.

On August 19, the jury will narrow this list of nine semi-finalists to three finalists, to be approved by City Council on September 8. The three finalists will submit design concepts for a new Pier by November 29, and will make presentations December 15 and 16. In early January, the jury will submit its final recommendation to City Council for approval on Feb. 2.

Since its earliest days, a pier has been the centerpiece of St. Petersburg, Florida's downtown waterfront. The current landmark Pier - the seventh in a succession of waterfront piers - opened in 1973 and is nearing the end of its life span, slated for future replacement.