Three finalists have emerged in the competition to reimagine the St. Petersburg Pier in Florida, US.

Designs from Alfonso Architects, St. Pete Design Group and Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers made the cut following the latest meeting of the City of St. Petersburg’s Pier Selection Committee, in which four other concepts were eliminated.

Alfonso Architects’ ‘ALMA’ design features open air floors and a 150ft (45.7m) high observation room, providing views of St. Petersburg and the surrounding bay.

It is divided into four zones and features a pedestrian promenade and fishing pier, a park with a vertical interactive water feature, a 300-seat restaurant on the water’s edge, gardens, and a ballroom with a band shell that can be utilised as an event space.

Central to ‘Destination St. Pete Pier’, designed by the St. Pete Design Group, is an inverted glass pyramid. At the top of its multi-layered deck concept is an observation room, with other attractions including an enhanced spa beach, fishing deck and bait shop, a children's zone, and multiple indoor and outdoor spaces for community gatherings.

St. Pete Design Group said there was also an interior space suitable for a marine discovery centre, museum or other tenant.

The third concept, ‘The Pier Park’ from Rogers Partners Architects + Urban Designers, is intended to be a flexible-use hub of activity along the entire 1,380ft (420.6m) length of the pier. The proposal envisages a collection of smaller experiences for tourists and the local community rather than offering a single destination at the pier head, so creating a “true bay-side city experience”.

An initial public meeting will be held by the Pier Selection Committee on 23 April, when finalists will provide further presentations and clarifications on their designs. This will be followed by a second meeting later that day to rank the shortlisted teams.

A final contract is expected to be approved in late May or early June. Once a concept is selected, the City of St. Petersburg will work with the winning team on a final design.