DESIGN STRATEGY
Our parkette design is organized around the existing grid of trees. From these locations three constellations of light collide, intersect and disperse across the site to create a variety of social zones. By day the parkette is an urban forest perched along College Street at Brunswick Avenue. At night the translucent light rods emit a blue-green glow, where light filled spaces and native vegetation frame informal spaces to linger and congregate. Visually intriguing as the hues change to produce a range of light patterns, the evenly distributed light provides valuable nighttime security and expands the hours of use. In addition to the lighting system, new benches, vegetation and textured paving provide visual interest and barrier free accessibility throughout the site. Along College Street the spaces are larger and more open, while spaces around the clustered light rods are smaller and more intimate. At the eastern edge of the parkette, we have reduced the size of the concrete planters in order to improve site lines, minimize places for garbage to collect and to re-design the lower level as an outdoor patio for a café. This encourages foot traffic to move through the main parkette, away from the building face.
VISION
Light is our sculptural element -- creating the sensation of walking amidst a cloud of fireflies or being immersed in the Aurora Borealis. While the existing design is empty and foreboding at night, our design transforms a neglected urban space into a dynamic social node. It is a place where neighbours meet for coffee, informal markets emerge and children wander and play amidst the field of light rods. It is a space re-imagined to experience nature that cannot be found elsewhere in the City.
(Competitor's text)
One of the most popular submissions among visitors to the display. They were particularly enchanted by the vertical light columns but concerned that they might not be resistant to vandalism. (The submitters insist that standards similar to those shown are available for this kind of outdoor use.) Otherwise, a simple design which lowers the bunker wall to bench height and simplifies it to eliminate potential hiding places. The eight existing trees remain in place, with benches beside them. Vegetation is well contained and protected, in raised beds in the bunker wall, around the raised vent at the south end and in rings around some of the trees. Paving provides clear N‐S runs through the park and to the west of it. The west end of KHC is open for café and retail with coffee tables lined along the now shallow trench between KHC and the bunker wall.
The strength of this scheme is the scattered clusters of lighting elements that would really change the environment of the site in the evening. There is quite a lot of light at that corner, so it would be a trick to fine tune the lights to have an effect, while still allowing them to be quite low light. The plan keeps the existing concrete vents (which may be a necessary criteria). More development of the plan, and lighting materials would be necessary - as proposed they seem very breakable.
Meets most criteria, good permeable groundcover, lovely lighting design
(Excerpt from the jury's comments)
