RIVER PARK
Narratives are powerful tools that shape memory, influence values, and drive behavior. River Park is centred around reimagining the narrative of urban parks to transform relationships between people and nature in a time when such a shift is urgently needed.
The park restores the connection between the city and its natural water systems, paying homage to a lost creek, paved over in the 19th century. The design is guided by three core gestures: tracing the path of the river, lifting the edges to create banks, and connecting the city along the edges. The river, flowing through the park, serves as both a subtle topographic change and an ephemeral water feature, emphasizing the importance of water in the urban landscape.
The edges offer spaces for daily life and events, including a pavilion, canopy, stage, and a tilted lawn. Tree-lined corridors connect the park to the city, drawing in adjacent activities and reflecting the character of surrounding buildings. The spectacular sculpture, Resurgences, creates a magnificent and startling gateway off Richmond Street as a monument to the city's lost rivers.
In proposing the name River Park, we seek to shift the narrative surrounding our relationship with nature and each other. This naming process presents an opportunity to connect with the generational history of this area and its evolution, learn about the building practices and decisions that have led to the present, and instill an optimistic view of the future. We envision River Park as a place for reflection, storytelling, and cultural exchange, fostering inclusivity and equity.
(From competitor's text)
The jury noted that the concept had a subtle poetic quality to the emergence of water, placement of public art and pavilions, and granularity of spaces. The jury appreciated that the team took a position delivering a primarily hard surface space, with a threshold of green, and that the scheme could accommodate large events. The concept offers a place for repose that can be experienced from different perspectives, evolving and shifting along the abstracted central river. The jury valued the multi directional design approach of the pavilions and the creation of an iconic gateway from the south. The jury commented on the tangible quality of the art work and the opportunities for the art to act as thresholds into the park.
Jury members were concerned about the size and dominance of the pavilions and the construction cost. The jury noted that the park will already be in shade, questioning the need for large canopies. There was also a lack of information with respect to achieving Carbon Net Zero, or the approach to sustainability. The jury was concerned about the team's comment during the presentation that meeting the Carbon Net Zero target would compromise design excellence.
The jury shared the City's Steering Committee's concern with respect to the clarity of the "river" and how it would be interpreted, seen, and interacted with by the park users. Given the site's rich and layered history, the concept did not fully address the uniqueness of the site. The jury felt there was great potential for the site based on how the concept was described in text, however some of the ideas did not get translated into the conceptual design. While the jury appreciated the team's decision to create an understated landscape, they commented that the scheme could have benefited from a stronger landscape approach.
The jury commended the quality of the illustrations and the graphic material the team prepared. However, the illustrations were uneven in the ability to capture the intended character of the scheme.
(From jury report)
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- Presentation Panel
- Presentation Panel
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- Presentation Panel
- Perspective
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- Site Map
- Site Plan
- Plan
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- Cross-sectional perspective
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- Elevation
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- Schema
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- Reference Image
- Reference Image
