Phase 3 of our Chicago Riverwalk project—the section between Wells Street and Franklin Street—will feature piers and floating wetland gardens, creating an interactive learning environment and urban fishing amenity affectionately called “The Jetty.”

Last week, the design team built a full scale mockup on our back deck to test materials, space relationships, and the overall experience of the Jetty. How does the bench feel to sit on, lie on, or lean against? How does the fishing rail work for an adult, a child, or someone in a wheelchair? How do the paving patterns suggest movement, direction, and rhythm?

Mockups help us understand how the things we design are going to function in the real world. So come try out the Jetty in spring of 2016 and see if we nailed it!