Presidio Tunnel Tops reimagines a once-elevated highway into a vibrant, ecologically rich 14-acres of public space. Built atop 7 lanes of Presidio Parkway tunnels, the new landscape stitches together historic parklands with the San Francisco Bay and transforms infrastructure into an immersive experience, choreographing movement, topography, and ecology to create an open, accessible pedestrian connection across 40 feet of grade change. The park has become a central place for the community with a network of trails, bluff landscapes, meadows, dynamic overlooks, and spaces for gathering.
The park blends essential community anchors— including a new transit center and pavilion, a campfire circle, and a youth-focused educational campus— with gardens reflecting the site’s natural and cultural history. It offers both connection and retreat, balancing quiet contemplation with social engagement. Through fluid and experiential design, Tunnel Tops transforms infrastructure into landscape, creating a timeless public space for all.
Decades of planning catalyzed the removal of the former highway viaduct and replaced it with cut-and-cover tunnels engineered by Caltrans. This intervention unlocked an opportunity to weave the historic Main Post of the Presidio into its waterfront setting, creating a new civic threshold between city, nature, and the Bay.
The process of designing atop an infrastructural corridor demanded technical innovation and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Working closely with Caltrans, the Presidio Trust, and a constellation of partners, the design team navigated the complexities of building a park atop highway tunnels—where loading restrictions, soil depths, and structural tolerances required both technical rigor and ingenuity.
Rooted in principles of ecological renewal, material reclamation, and urban resilience, the landscape of Tunnel Tops is designed to integrate with, rather than impose upon, its remarkable setting. The site’s LEED Gold-certified buildings and ReScape (Bay Friendly) certified landscapes are part of a broader ethos of sustainability—where every material, plant, and construction technique reflect a commitment to longevity and adaptability.
A defining feature of this commitment is the use of reclaimed materials, sourced directly from the Presidio itself. More than half of the new buildings and furnishings were constructed using fallen or cleared Presidio trees, extending the lifecycle of these natural resources in ways that are both practical and poetic.
Presidio Tunnel Tops emerges as a layered and evolving ecological framework, blending historic landscapes with forward-thinking restoration strategies. The heart of the Presidio was once a grassland that transitioned to a coastal scrub community as it met its waterfront. That character has been translated into the planting design—combining over 200,000 plants through ornamental gardens, meadows, lawns, coastal woodland, bluff and dunes.
The planting strategy embraces succession and adaptation—where younger plantings establish resilience against the site’s prevailing winds, and the landscape itself evolves with time. The result is a living ecological system that supports biodiversity while amplifing the sensory experience of the park.
At the top of the bluff, the renovated Transit Center welcomes visitors with a patio to take in the breathtaking views. Below, a new 17,000 sf Youth Campus is a hub of environmental education and play that is integrated into the landscape. The historic Building 603 and the new Lab Building provide flexible space for education programs, while the Field Station engages visitors in hands-on exploration of the Presidio’s layered history, ecology, and archaeology.
The outdoor counterpart of the Youth Campus is the Outpost, an innovative nature-based playscape that is designed to cultivate imagination and sensory engagement. It extends learning beyond the classroom, inviting children to climb, build and discover within a landscape that feels both natural and adventurous.
Tunnel Tops occupies a spectacular setting—a National Park within a Historic Landmark District, surrounded by an iconic cultural and ecological landscape. Here, the power of the design is in its ability to amplify the qualities of place rather than overwhelm them.
Buildings and landscape elements have been detailed to blend seamlessly into the site, ensuring that materials, colors, and forms accentuate the stunning qualities of its context. Trails, garden spaces, and furnishings are carefully choreographed to frame shifting perspectives, quiet moments, and grand overlooks, ensuring that every perch and position feels intentional.
Within its first year, Tunnel Tops hosted nearly 2 million visitors, welcomed 100 community-based organizations, and featured a dozen community-curated events, drawing thousands across the Bay. The Presidio Trust is now working on the Outpost Meadow, an additional picnic and gathering area slated to open in July 2025.
Data
Landscape Architects: Field Operations
Address: 210 Lincoln Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94129
Photos: Caitlin Atkinson
Client: The Presidio Trust
Civil, Site Structural & Stormwater Engineering: Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Geotechnical Engineering: Miller Pacific
Environmental Engineering: WOOD
Sustainability Consultant: Stok
Mechanical, Electrical & Plumbing Engineering: PAE Engineers
Lighting Design: HLB Lighting Design
Water Feature Design: Fluidity Design Consultants
Playground Consultant: Site Masters, Inc.
Playground Structure Consultant: Earthscape
Operations & Maintenance Planning: ETM Associates, LLC
Irrigation: d.d. Pagano, Inc.
Soil Scientist: Wallace Laboratories
Cost Estimating: Oppenheim Lewis, Inc.
California Arboriculture Consultant: Perry & Associates
Bay Area Horticulture & Grasses Specialist: Greenlee & Associates
Bay Area Horticulture: Richard Turner
Signage Designer: Clearstory
General Contractor: Swinerton Builders
Driftwood Bench Fabrication: Gizmo Art Production
Electrical Engineering (Outpost Meadow): Guttmann & Blaevoet Consulting Engineers
General Contractor (Outpost Meadow): Plant Construction
Accessibility Reviewer (Outpost Meadow): Jensen Hughes
