Vancouver Community Connector

The Vancouver Community Connector is a 14-acre urban park and freeway cap in Vancouver, Washington, just north of the Columbia River. The Connector will unite the city’s downtown with the Fort Vancouver Historic Reserve. In the process, it will reclaim ground lost in the reconstruction and expansion of Interstate 5.

Developed in collaboration with landscape architects Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, the design interprets the landscape, geology and cultural history of Washington and the Columbia River. Above, the Connector features a promenade lined with flowing water, a native Camas prairie and a wetland meadow. At highway level, a vaulted and coffered concrete structure provides durability, efficiency and sound mitigation. The Connector is organized as a series of intersecting and overlapping plates that allow light to pass from upper to lower levels, and offer framed views of the city and sky.