Grounded Futures

The Santa Monica Vertiport project focused on site renewal in anticipation of the Santa Monica Airport’s closure in the coming years. The proposal reimagines the airport as a local park, transforming a previously restricted landscape into a civic resource. Programmatic elements include a power plant operating through trash incineration, water ponds, and the adaptive reuse of several existing structures, including the current terminal building. Additional public amenities such as playgrounds and an amphitheater are integrated throughout the site, allowing infrastructure, recreation, and reuse to coexist within a renewed landscape. The vertiport forms the second phase of the project and is embedded alongside the power plant, deliberately concealed below grade to prevent park users from having to visually engage with the site’s industrial functions. This approach allows the park to remain focused on public experience, while essential infrastructure operates quietly in the background.