Tag: landscape architecture

+ A WATER GARDEN

The clients choose to build a pool garden instead of purchasing a garden. Its main purpose was to create a place of entertainment for family and friends. The strong sounds of falling water was added to the pool structure to camouflage city sounds and bring the natural environment into the space.

+ THE BICYCLE SHED

A corrugated metal shed was designed to store the client’s bicycles. Cedars formed the green walls of this urban courtyard, which provided privacy and muffled the sound of city traffic. This created an urban retreat and tranquil haven in the heart of downtown Toronto.

+ THE BICYCLE SHED

A corrugated metal shed was designed to store the client’s bicycles. Cedars formed the green walls of this urban courtyard, which provided privacy and muffled the sound of city traffic. This created an urban retreat and tranquil haven in the heart of downtown Toronto.

+ A WATER GARDEN

The clients choose to build a pool garden instead of purchasing a garden. Its main purpose was to create a place of entertainment for family and friends. The strong sounds of falling water was added to the pool structure to camouflage city sounds and bring the natural environment into the space.

+ SUBURBAN RETREAT

This is a typical subdivision home built in the 1970s with no distinguishing features. The one outstanding feature was its location at the edge of a ravine. The challenge was to create a garden that enhanced the architecture and connected it visually and functionally to the ravine. The garden was centered functionally around suburban life with an outdoor kitchen, BBQ and swimming pool. Existing topography was used to create stepped terraces down to the ravine. Perennial planting in a wild configuration mimic its naturalness. A trellis wrapped around the edge of the ravine with views oriented the clients to the ravine tying the more ridged geometry of the garden structure with the naturalness of the ravine.

+ TWO COURTYARDS

This is the first prototypical green school for the Toronto District School Board. In conjunction with R.V. Anderson, the firm devised a new sustainable environmental approach to groundwater recharge for the courtyards, path systems, playing fields, and parking lots. This method is applicable to all urban conditions where excessive run off is an issue. This was done through the use of groundwater infiltration zones that manifests itself in design features and encourages co-operative maintenance, and planting of gardens by the students. Simultaneously the students learn about the water cycle and conservation.

“An admirable design that creates a rich variety of interior and exterior spaces for children and a public focus for a new community. This project breaks free of the traditional finishes and systems that have been mandated up to now by the Toronto District School Board and sets a new model for environmentally responsible design by school boards.”
Canadian Architect

Awards – AIA Award of Excellence (2008), Award of Excellence, Toronto Architecture and Urban Design Awards (2007), LEED Canada NC-1.0 Silver (2006), Award of Excellence, Canadian Architect (2005)

+ A CEREMONIAL CORRIDOR

King’s College Road is transformed from a drab, vehicular service road into a more ceremonial corridor – giving priority to pedestrians. The road is center-drained rather than crowned to eliminate curbside puddles, improve walking conditions, and reduce winter salt splash onto lawns and trees. The road accommodates necessary vehicles that can share the space with pedestrians safely.

The redesign of the street corridor unifies the diverse architectural styles of adjacent buildings by establishing a consistent landscape pattern of paving materials and site furnishings.

Awards – Regional Merit Award, CSLA (2005), Honourable Mention, Urban Design Category, National Post Design Exchange Awards (2005), Honourable Mention, Toronto Architecture and Urban Design Award (2005)

+ AN ENTRY PLAZA

This Edwardian style building, now home to the new J. Robert S. Prichard Alumni Development House, is situated between two historical Neo Gothic colleges. The client requested that rejuvenation of the existing terrace built in 1950 include a new canopy, door, outdoor furnishing and planting.

It was important to address the historic elements in a contemporary way, that also harken back to previous uses of the building (University Bookstore). The canopy was designed to float, suspended through steel tension rods that penetrate the building walls and are bolted to the basement ceiling.  Laser cut steel designed to have the lightness of fabric wraps around the steel rods. The steel pattern for the canopy was a Neo Gothic detail taken from the stone work of the neighbouring Knox College beside it.

Budget constraints necessitated the reuse of existing stone in combination with new stone for the re-construction and re-configuration of the existing steps and walls.  In addition, a barrier-free access ramp was added.  Planting beds contain Star Magnolia with a perennial tapestry of Foam Flower, Day Lilies, Christmas fern and Lady Fern. The building, once the University Bookstore, is now the new Alumni Development House.

+ A GARDEN IN THE SKY

As the city high rise condos continue to dominate the skyline and people are further removed from the natural environment, garden terraces become more and more important. The client wanted to build a garden that was lush and filled with thriving plants that outlined filtered views to the city skyline.

Stainless steel planters were fabricated to precisely fit the terrace that wrapped around the building. This created garden views of the skyline from each room of the apartment. The sounds of a water wall dampened the noise of the city and included a secondary natural element.

+ ZEN COURTYARD

This contemporary glass and steel addition reaches out to the edge of a steeply wooded ravine hillside. The clients requested that the garden express the Zen-like tranquility and simplicity of the woodland. The terrace and steps were minimal interventions into the ravine. A sports court on the flat land extends the function of the outdoor space into the winter where the family can skate and play hockey at the ravine’s edge.

The edge of the woodland was restored through the addition of native plantings that bring nature even closer to the home.