West 8 + DTAH’s winning design for Toronto’s waterfront echoes the spirit of the archetypal Canadian shoreline of trees, a dock and a mirrored lake, in the form of three key layers.
The first layer is the primary waterfront - an 18-metre wide, tree-lined, continuous public promenade with timber boardwalk and bridges along the water’s edge. The second is a floating waterfront of pontoons and piers, the third a rejuvenated Queen’s Quay Boulevard with seven timber wavedecks, extending and enriching the public realm.
The overall design will develop a new ‘green foot’ for Toronto, with native hardwood trees and a new language of public space that brings Torontonians into closer proximity to the water.
The first major projects have been completed: Spadina WaveDeck opened September 2008, Simcoe WaveDeck opened June 2009, and Rees WaveDeck opened July 2009.
Client:
Waterfront Toronto
Awards:
Canadian Society of Landscape Architects National Merit Award 2007
City of Toronto Urban Design Awards, Award of Excellence 2007
Publications:
Topos, 2008 vol 63, ‘Redefining Toronto’s Waterfront’
Design City Toronto, 2007, Wiley Publishers
Azure, 2006-06, ‘Toronto’s Winning Waterfront’