September 29, 2009

Waterfront projects win Toronto Urban Design Awards

TORONTO

Waterfront Toronto’s Spadina WaveDeck and Master Plan for Lake Ontario Park have each been awarded 2009 Toronto Urban Design Awards.

Spadina WaveDeck earned an Award of Excellence in the Small Open Space category and the Master Plan for Lake Ontario Park was awarded an Honourable Mention in the Vision and Masterplan category.

The City of Toronto’s Urban Design Awards recognize and acknowledge the significant contribution that architects, landscape architects, urban designers, artists, design students, and city builders make to the look and livability of Toronto. This year’s competition drew 117 entries in seven categories.

The Vision and Masterplan category honours unexecuted visions for the city, studies and master plans of high inspirational value with the potential for significant impact on Toronto’s development. The Small Open Space category recognizes spaces that provide an extension and addition to the public realm in an exemplary way.

Designed by West 8 and duToit Allsopp Hillier, the Spadina WaveDeck opened in September 2008 and was the first wavedeck built along Toronto’s waterfront. Inspired in part by the Canadian cottage experience and the shorelines of Ontario’s great lakes, the Spadina WaveDeck was designed to give urban dwellers a feel for life at the lake.

Over the summer, the Spadina WaveDeck was joined by two new wavedecks at the Simcoe and Rees slips. Together, the three wavedecks create more than 1,700 square metres of new public space along one of the most heavily used parts of the Toronto shoreline. Planning is currently underway for the fourth wavedeck at the Parliament Slip in East Bayfront.

Designed by landscape architecture firm Field Operations, the Master Plan for Lake Ontario Park presents a bold vision for transforming 375 hectares (927 acres) of Toronto’s waterfront into an urban wilderness and recreational park.

In addition to Toronto Urban Design Awards, the Master Plan for Lake Ontario Park and Spadina WaveDeck are the recipients of several other prestigious design awards. Earlier this year, both projects were honoured by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA).

The Master Plan for Lake Ontario Park was awarded the CSLA’s highest prize, a National Honour Award and the Spadina WaveDeck earned a National Merit Award.

DCN News Services

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