Stage 1
GROUND WORKING
The first step includes the preparation of the ground. This step consists of a flexible, continuous and identity treatment, proposed as a single surface that links the various spaces of Smith Drive. The uniqueness of this surface allows the application of the principles of shared space and planting, based on the versatility of spaces, to an openness in terms of uses and configurations. The choice of this material is defined according to the performance criteria required by the issues and characteristics of the site.
POLINIZATION (sic)
The second step is the planting of the site. The plant palette of the project is articulated around a reinterpretation of the journey of the plant heritage using the means of locomotion available. Thus, the plant composition uses pioneer and adapted species, resulting in an impressive biodiversity and the implementation of ecological systems (bio-retention, etc.). Inspired by the little exploited aesthetics of the railway wasteland, the project gives the impression of having been sown at random by the polinizations...and the train passages.
ANIMATION
The third step proposes the animation of the site and the daily life that takes place there. This step takes the form of punctual interventions, architectural, event-driven, etc., on the site and in its vicinity. The following "headlines" illustrate some examples of this aspect of the project.
Stage 2
Inspired by the power of the raw character of the railroad wasteland, the project proposes an amplification of the qualities of this industrial landscape to reconvert residual spaces, into a structured and identifying place, a promenade to be discovered in the city's routes. A hybrid between garden, street, park and public square, the Smith Walk represents an opportunity to celebrate urban biodiversity and to be a real in situ exhibition of its performances. By cultivating the plant heritage present on the site, perfected through urban movements and assaults, as the legacy of a process called hemerochory, the project reinvents the archetypes of the city and the relationship between vegetation and the citizen, between urban ecology and public space. This strategy gives way to a sophisticated biodiversity, inserted into the urban fabric by the gridded organization of the ground allowing the flexible invasion of plant species according to the different spaces available. The versatile system is adaptable to future realities, to possible lifestyles, to the evolution of the different phases of the project and to the various scales of events that will take place on the promenade.
"Hemerochory includes the dynamism of the plant heritage by man and the available means of locomotion: pollens move randomly, blown by the wind, the train carrying grain drops some seeds and the walker throws his apple heart under the foliage of a grove..."
TILLING THE SOIL
The first gesture treats the ground in continuous conferring to the place a strong identity and the development of its urban figure to the particular geometries. The uniqueness of this surface allows the application of principles of shared space while meeting the functional requirements of safe traffic and snow removal. A unique material is chosen according to a set of performance criteria, Laurentian granite, whose detailing and assembly is adapted to the various requirements of the site.
POLLINIZATION (sic)
The second gesture consists in introducing a living layer by expressing a generation resulting from the movement produced by the passage of the train. This biodiversity is created by cultivating the site's own plant heritage and attracting wildlife activity by introducing plant nutrients and structures conducive to certain wildlife habitats. The soil treatment system favors these living insertions where space permits. Thus, a more intense biodiversity develops on the embankment along the railroad track, to decompose into a gradient of green plots spreading out over the entire promenade, even fertilizing the swing bridge at its end.
WATER MANAGEMENT
The third gesture proposes an urban river on the axis of the promenade, making drainage a spectacle. A hybrid system that combines the ecological management of rainwater with the expressiveness of a fountain, it merges the technical functions of drainage with the programmatic experience of the site. On its axis, the urban river is transformed to respond to different contexts and needs.
ANIMATION
The fourth gesture deals with the life of the site, both on a daily basis and through the events that animate it. This treatment takes different forms, through the elements of the landscape and architecture, their relationship to the human scale, their functions, ephemeral interventions, the calendar of events, the dissemination of information, commemoration and education. The headlines on the plates illustrate this aspect of the project.
(From competitor's text)
(Unofficial automated translation)
This project appeared, in the eyes of the jury, to be the "richest" of all, both in terms of its ideas and its integration into the urban development project. The main idea is to develop the site through a simple, intelligent project, responding flexibly to the requirements of the competition. The hemerochory* is an idea introduced to reinforce nature on the site; the process is relevant and seems well mastered by the designers. Nature invades the space while maintaining the integrity of the site. It is, in a way, a question of recreating nature with nature that is already there: "This represents a new prototype of the natural/urban relationship. The project is strategic. The four basic points of the performance (soil, pollination, water management and animation) are conceptual and methodical pillars that open up interpretative possibilities that allow for variants or alternatives during the implementation phases. The performance shows a good balance between originality and feasibility.
The project emphasizes the importance of being able to accommodate groups, events or crowds at the edge of the canal. "There is a balance between the formal and the informal." This project introduces an important, very civic, gathering plaza allowing for multiple uses. It is the most flexible project. It plays with the paradox between natural space and public space. It addresses the seasons, contrasting summer and winter uses. The use of rocks and the topography near the Lachine Canal keep their interest in all seasons. The linear definition of the promenade is given by the water line which should be interrupted on occasion. Some members of the jury felt that there is a lack of marking between the hard and the green. The unitary surface of the ground covering is appreciated but it can be improved by small punctual differences, evocative or capable of clarifying the passage from mineral to vegetation. These punctual differences would also ensure the reading of the pedestrian and mixed traffic spaces.
The Square Gallery is made up of spaces that are very abstract; this requires more concrete definition for better identification of places. "This project poses creative challenges to the design team. Landscape design remains the main challenge of the project. The city will have to do a rigorous follow-up to ensure that the project is well executed. It will be able to find in this project new ways of doing things favoring the cooperation between the various services involved as well as that of all the actors, private and public concerned.
In short, this project is innovative in the design and use of public spaces. It is the one that can best initiate positive and sustainable change in the area, despite the maintenance challenges. This project has the potential to really engage the community, to excite the people of the area and those who will develop it. Some adjustments to the proposal may be required after the competition, particularly with respect to the proportion of hard and naturalized surfaces and maintenance conditions, but none of these present major difficulties. In this respect, the professional skills demonstrated by the designers are more than reassuring.
*"Hemerochory includes the dynamism of the plant heritage by man and the means of locomotion available: pollens move randomly, blown by the wind, the train carrying grain drops a few seeds and the walker throws his apple heart under the foliage of a grove...".
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
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