James Corner Field Operations has won the ￡50 million competition to redevelop Chicago’s Navy Pier.

The practice behind the High Line in New York beat a shortlist of five including HOK, BIG and Grimshaw.

Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel said: “Public spaces do not only help define a city - they are the heart and soul of a city. We have a remarkable opportunity to make Navy Pier one of those unique public spaces. Having an internationally renowned design firm like James Corner Field Operations working with one of our city’s greatest icons demonstrates that Chicago has the energy and vision to continue to lead on the world stage.”

The judges praised Corner’s entry for its “strong sense of flexibility and collaboration” and its “balance between creativity and practicality”. They also cited the practice’s work on the High Line, Seattle Central Waterfront, Santa Monica Civic Center Parks, and Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.

More than 50 teams, involving 250 architects, entered the competition, including Zaha Hadid, Foster & Partners, Kengo Kuma and OMA.

Work redesigning the open spaces of the city’s most popular attraction must be completed before the pier’s centenery in 2016.

The shortlisted teams were:
!melk, HOK and Urban Lab

Aecom and BIG

Aedas, Davis Brody Bond and Martha Schwartz Partners

James Corner Field Operations

Xavier Vendrell Studio and Grimshaw