The project comprises of a new terminal for commuter passenger ferry service, an entry gate with information signage, a passenger waiting area, gangway and ramping system leading from an existing plaza to a new passenger boarding float which accommodates one ferry at a time while accounting for accessibility and sea-level rise in the design.

The facade is designed with these objectives in mind and consists of copper-penny-colored metal louvers on the leeward side, and a glass wind-break of bird protective glazing facing windward. The new gangway and ramping system provide full accessibility for passenger loading and unloading from the concrete passenger float. The client and architect teamed up with a local metal fabrication shop, a specialty steel-detailer, and a facade-engineer, to design and fabricate the custom twisting stainless-steel louver system. The custom twisting louver system required the metal fabricator to develop job-specific, custom fixturing, and modify the shop equipment to precisely twist the twenty-foot-long sections of stainless steel plate. Test sections were fabricated, evaluated, then re-fabricated until a uniform twist could be consistently achieved, ensuring that the assembled 65-foot-long louvers would have a continuous, smooth twist over their entire length. The 1600 sqft of stainless-steel louvers were finished with a super durable powder coating for corrosion protection and are installed over a galvanized steel passenger shelter frame. The passenger shelter is supported on 36-diameter rolled steel pipe piles. An 18-gauge metal roof deck is exposed as the terminal's ceiling, perforated to provide acoustic control.Stainless steel doors are installed into custom fabricated structural steel door portals. An 86 m long gangway of mill-finished aluminum connects the shelter to the boarding float.

The striking Richmond & Ferry signage consists of custom-fabricated stainless-steel letters with integrated LED lighting, greeting passengers from daybreak to nightfall. The facility is designed to accommodate a planned 50-year operational life with minimal maintenance. Hence, extreme care was taken to eliminate areas of potential corrosion in a naturally ventilated space. Isolation washers, tubes, and sliding pads fabricated of Derlin, an engineering thermoplastic, were installed to separate the stainless-steel louvers from the galvanized steel ferry terminal structure while accommodating movement due to the thermal expansion of the louvers in direct sunlight. The striking aesthetic quality of the terminal amplifies the social and economic opportunities that the construction of the ferry brings: attracting new visitors, jobs, residents, and cultural events to a long-underserved community.

In addition to providing solely needed infrastructure, the terminal is a striking landmark representing Richmond along its coastline. Coordination among public agencies and private owners was required to integrate the project with the Bay Trail, local roadways, and adjacent historic structures while navigating both on-land and at-sea construction realities. The terminal was built to accommodate a 16 m sea level rise by 2050, an urgent concern for the Bay Area, thereby making a huge statement and impression despite its small footprint. Lighting and Signage transform the terminal from daybreak to nightfall; the precisely engineered facade is iconic, as are the panoramic Bay views. Its local impact is already being felt, not only as an amenity for citizens and visitors but as an economic and cultural revitalization catalyst reciprocally cross-fertilizing activities in business and art. Within its first three months of operation, the new ferry route carried almost 50,000 customers, exceeding all ridership projections.

Further, increased access encourages other Bay area residents to visit Richmond more often, or consider moving there. Richmond Mayor Tom Butt told the San Francisco Chronicle, "Essentially, it stimulates economic development in Richmond ... having a ferry here helps emphasize the fact that we are in fact a waterfront city and that we have the amenities that other waterfront cities have."