DC Alexander Park / Brooks + Scarpa

Architects: Brooks + Scarpa Architects
Area: 52,300 ft²
Year: 2022
Photography: Brooks + Scarpa Architects
Lead Architects: Lawrence Scarpa, Jeffrey Huber
Architects Team: Daren Chen, Angela Brooks, Heather Akers, David Garcia, Dionicio Ichillumpa, Eric Mosher, Iliya Muzychuk, Zachary Schoch, Arty Vartanyan, Yimin Wu
Landscape: PLAN(t) and Keith Engineering
Structural Engineering: RGD
Civil Engineering: Keith Engineering
Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing: RGD
Lighting Design: Sasso
Geotechnical: Keith Engineering
Security & Wayfinding: Brooks + Scarpa
Façade Engineering: Brooks + Scarpa with Becher Neme
Specifications: Brooks + Scarpa and Keith Engineering
Contractor: Shiff Construction
Client: City of Fort Lauderdale, Community Redevelopment Agency and Parks and Recreation
City: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Country: United States

DC Alexander Park transforms a former beachfront parking lot into a resilient public landscape designed to strengthen Fort Lauderdale’s shoreline while enhancing daily civic life. The project introduces a layered coastal environment that merges ecological restoration with community recreation, replacing impervious asphalt with adaptable natural systems. Vegetated dunes, maritime hardwood hammock plantings, permeable surfaces, and elevated terrain work together to manage flooding, filter saltwater intrusion, and buffer future sea-level rise. A cantilevered overlook rises above these restored ecologies to frame expansive views of the beach and ocean while offering spatial continuity for visitors of all ages and abilities. Passive recreation zones and a shaded coastal plaza contribute to a public realm centered on comfort and environmental performance. The park’s integrated approach positions infrastructure as a civic and aesthetic asset, establishing a model for designing enjoyable, fiscally responsible landscapes in vulnerable coastal environments.

DC Alexander Park reconsiders what coastal infrastructure can be by merging engineered resilience with a careful reintroduction of South Florida’s native ecosystems. Rather than relying on conventional seawalls or hard edges, the design adopts topography, planting, and material strategies that absorb, filter, and deflect environmental pressures. The result is a landscape that operates as both a public amenity and a working ecological system, reshaping a once-utilitarian parking lot into a civic destination.

The design’s foundation lies in the reconstruction of coastal dune and tropical maritime hammock environments, each selected for its ability to moderate storm surge and salt spray while offering habitat for native species. Vegetated dunes form a protective and sculptural terrain, and rubberized surfaces weave through these contours to support inclusive play and movement. At the site’s perimeter, the re-established hammock acts as a sponge that captures rainfall and tidal flooding, enabling the park to function as a dynamic buffer between ocean and city.

A ramped path folds upward into a twenty-five-foot cantilevered overlook, a gesture that doubles as resilient infrastructure and a vantage point for observing the coastline. Designed to be universally accessible, the elevated structure choreographs a gradual ascent through varied light, shadow and vegetation before opening toward the ocean. Its presence emphasizes the park’s dual agenda: to perform under extreme conditions while enriching everyday experience.

To the north, a coastal plaza introduces calmer vehicular movement and a shaded gathering space characterized by filtered light through native species such as Green Buttonwood, Gumbo Limbo and Seagrape. These plantings form a contemporary reinterpretation of a hammock canopy, offering respite from the coastal sun while reinforcing the park’s ecological intent.

Throughout the project, functional elements such as drainage strategies, ground surfaces and supporting structures are crafted to read as deliberate components of the park’s identity. This integration challenges the prevailing image of coastal protection as visually intrusive, demonstrating how infrastructure can align with civic aspirations and environmental stewardship. DC Alexander Park ultimately stands as a model for coastal cities seeking to pair resilience with public life, presenting a landscape that anticipates future environmental shifts while inviting community engagement.