Brooklyn Basin is a 64-acre industrial waterfront being transformed into a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood with more than 30 acres of public parks, trails, and marinas. It includes a revitalized pier and preserved elements of the 9th Avenue Terminal building. The location is named after the voyage of the Brooklyn ship and its 238 Mormon passengers that set sail from New York to San Francisco in 1846. Our work tells the story of a historic site being transformed into a new, vibrant community and includes large scale environmental graphics, interpretive moments, and wayfinding.

The main objective of the project was to create a unique identity for the site and avoid it feeling like a faceless new development that completely displaces what came before it. Given many of the issues of displacement in the Bay Area, it was very important to emphasize that Brooklyn Basin is a place for a diverse Oakland population to enjoy–not just those of means.

Our work tells the story of a historic site being transformed into a new, vibrant community much in the way the passengers of the Brooklyn ship did almost 175 years ago. The design creates an identity and sense of place for Brooklyn Basin by emphasizing the history of the site and integrating it with the landscape architecture in a contemporary way. The typography and imperfections built into the hand-painted elements give the site a warmth that avoids the often-sterile feeling of new developments. It also emphasizes the aspect of Brooklyn Basin being a community place for gathering by using the identity to define areas for public enjoyment and telling the stories of the site’s past.

One overall goal was to reconnect Oakland with its historic waterfront and respect the existing character of the site. We established a site-specific brand that adds a layer of storytelling to enhance the site’s distinct character and history and create a sense of place. The new identity references the historical industrial elements of the site and the remnants of the old terminal building with a modern twist.

New dock markers were installed along both the waterfront and park side of the pier. We used the existing dock numbers as a callback to the old Terminal building, marking their location and providing wayfinding markers to pedestrians. This wayfinding mixes with a series of ‘X’ pattern halftone images that are derived from the historic architecture’s steel bracing. Some of the ‘X’ halftone images are generated from images of rippling waves sparkling in the sunlight to create a dynamic sense of movement. On large wall murals and banners, historic images of waterfront activities are treated the same way.

We painted graphics on the concrete retaining walls and building remnants to echo the layers of historic painted signs and markers throughout the site. This added a modern layer that spoke to its new function as a waterfront park but still gave a nod to its history. Much of the artwork was implemented by sign painters who painstakingly hand-painted the patterns and imbued the graphics with an approachable, ageless quality.

Across the waterfront site, ceramic interpretive panels tell the history of the port and the story of the Brooklyn ship. Historic photos are sourced from the Oakland Public Library archives.

The design was praised by the development team as well the landscape architecture group for achieving their goal of giving Brooklyn Basin a unique identity and character that identifies the place, and has already built the community they desired. And let’s face it–how can the identity that created the hot spot for roller skating in Oakland not show the impact of design on community (see it here: https://tinyurl.com/Roller-Skate-hot-spot)