Heatherwick Studio and Harley-Davidson have unveiled details of their plan to transform part of the motorcycle manufacturer’s headquarters in Milwaukee into a public park. According to the design team, the largely concrete site will be converted into a “civic and soulful green gathering space that can be used by everyone, including employees and the local community.”

The scheme will be anchored by a 272-foot-wide sunken events space named ‘The Hub.’ Formed of tiered seating and landscaped with trees and plants, the circular multi-use space will be constructed of ten types of locally sourced brick, weathered steel, and timber.

In one direction, The Hub will provide views of the original brick Harley-Davidson manufacturing buildings, while in the other, the space will provide views of a park filled with 120 native plant species and a planned market street, contemplative garden, and nature playground.

“Our goal is to turn this historic factory land into a new public park for the people of Milwaukee,” said Thomas Heatherwick about the development. “We want to make an exciting community space where people can come together with friends and family and experience the wildness of nature alongside spaces for food, performance, and play. The ambition is to highlight and celebrate renewed life in the Near West Side of this very special city.”

While Heatherwick Studio will oversee the creative delivery of the project, Milwaukee-based HGA will serve as architect of record in addition to providing civil engineering, landscape, lighting, and technology design. The initial development and funding will also be overseen by The Harley-Davidson Foundation.

The park is expected to break ground in the spring of 2023, with completion slated for the summer of 2024.

News of the scheme comes one month after Heatherwick Studio announced the opening of a new Shanghai office. December also saw new photographs emerge showing construction progress at Heatherwick’s Toranomon-Azabudai district in Tokyo, at the same time that Heatherwick and KPF offered an update on the design of Singapore’s Changi Airport Terminal 5.

The London-based firm has also recently completed a kinetic glasshouse in the English countryside and a new California campus for Google in collaboration with BIG.