Waterfront Toronto

Design proposals unveiled for two Waterfront Toronto parks

Monday, July 9, 2018

Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation recently unveiled ten creative design proposals as part of the international design competition for York Street Park and Rees Street Park.

Five design proposals will be on display for each park in the Rotunda at Toronto City Hall, so the public have the opportunity to view the proposals and provide their feedback. The exhibition opened to the public during regular hours on July 4 at 9:00 a.m., and will close at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 17.

A new website for the design competition will allow city residents to explore the design proposals and provide their feedback.

“These two new parks will exemplify the innovative ways we’re addressing the needs of our growing downtown,” said Mayor John Tory, in a press release. “I encourage residents and visitors to come out to take a look at the design proposals and share feedback that will shape these spaces for years to come.”

York Street Park and Rees Street Park will both be located along Toronto’s main waterfront boulevard, Queens Quay. The design competition challenged international design teams to create a space that can seamlessly serve the needs of local residents, daytime office workers and those that visit the waterfront for recreation and leisure.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for Torontonians to engage in a dialogue about what our parks can be,” said Will Fleissig, president and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. “The summary of public feedback we receive will help our expert jury to select the winning design proposals for these two new waterfront parks.”

The ten design proposals were created by:

York Street Park

  • Agency Landscape + Planning (Massachusetts) + DAVID RUBIN Land Collective (Philadelphia)
  • Claude Cormier et Associés (Montréal)
  • Hapa Collaborative (Vancouver)
  • PLANT Architects (Toronto) + Mandaworks (Stolkholm)
  • Stephen Stimson Associates Landscape Architects (Massachusetts) + MJMA (Toronto)

Rees Street Park

  • PUBLIC CITY Architecture (Toronto)
  • SCAPE Landscape Architecture (New York) + BSN Architects (Toronto)
  • Snøhetta (New York) + PMA Landscape Architects (Toronto)
  • Stoss Landscape Urbanism (Boston) + DTAH (Toronto)
  • wHY Architecture (New York) + Brook Mcllroy (Toronto)

Following the public viewing of the design proposals and the public comment period, the competition jury will come together in the early fall to recommend a preferred design proposal for each park. The jury includes Jane Hutton, assistant professor at the University of Waterloo; Janna Levitt, principal at LGA Architectural Partners; Michael Van Valkenburgh, principal at Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates; Neil Hrushowy, principal urban designer with the City and County of San Francisco; and Matthew Hyland, director/curator of Oakville Galleries.

Following the jury’s recommendation, Waterfront Toronto will award design contracts to the two winning design teams and begin design development of the parks. Construction is set to begin on the York Street Park in 2019, with Rees Street Park construction to follow in 2020.

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