The Nest at The Bay Park

Designed by Sweet Sparkman in collaboration with project lead Agency Landscape + Planning, The Nest at The Bay Park is a signature shade structure and public gathering space located within a transformative 53-acre redevelopment of Sarasota’s bayfront. Designed to strengthen community connection to the waterfront, The Nest is both an architectural focal point and a symbol of the park’s broader mission—integrating nature, culture, and community. Part of a larger master plan developed by Sasaki and Agency Landscape + Planning, through an extensive five-year public engagement process, The Bay Park transforms a former parking lot and underutilized civic land into a vibrant, inclusive destination. The plan’s six guiding principles—aspiration, cultural heritage, natural assets, activation, connectivity, and sustainability—shaped every element of the park’s first phase, which includes a pier, great lawn, food pavilion, and shade structures like The Nest. Occupying a site rich in cultural history, The Nest also pays tribute to the former Sarasota County Library designed by Walter Netsch of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. Drawing inspiration from Netsch’s Field Theory, The Nest reinterprets geometric themes to create a dynamic, open-air structure that bridges the nostalgic past with the forward-looking vision of the park. With its sculptural form and sustainable design, The Nest offers shaded seating and flexible space for events, performances, and daily use. It anchors the park’s central lawn while enhancing access to nature, celebrating Sarasota’s cultural legacy, and inviting all to participate in the life of the bayfront.