At the most basic level, a pretty and well- planted space with mature trees and seating will always be appreciated and perhaps even loved in a dense downtown neighbourhood. However, new parks carry an expectation to nurture a much broader range of activities and expectations — unfortunately real-estate costs and expedient site selection often com- press parks into sites that are too small to support the burden of competing demands. This is my greatest fear for this small park. Brown and Storey have layered much density and meaning onto a small piece of land. If I have any reservations about the park it is a concern that the load is too heavy. Although the park is currently under construction, the overlay of curved paths seems to obscure the underlying structure. Perhaps the paths are simply too wide and uniform relative to the strips of landscape. However, unlike architecture, parks need time before a clearer understanding of the relationships between their parts unfolds.
nity, some of the paths are dead-ends that terminate in a variety of spaces and surfaces intended to become localised moments in the park. These spaces hold much promise for establishing a mix of inviting places. The richness of the park will ultimately depend on the interaction of the structuring elements with the planting strategy. The park contains all the traditional elements that define park : trees, trellis, flowers, grass paths and fountains but is not heavily programmed: the variety of spaces and surfaces will sup- port a range of activities developed by and reflecting the disparate needs and lifestyles of the neighbourhood. The south-west corner looks especially promising where an inventive water play area for children is intersected and overlooked by a variety of mini-landscapes. Designing parks is a form of inverted history making. Much of the design intent is neces- sarily projected many years into the future when the park’s planting and social opera- tions gel. Park design is a huge act of faith as these forces, natural and social, are beyond the designers’ control. While the memory of the former use of this site is relatively fresh and relevant, it will be interesting to see if that memory resonates 15 or 30 years from now.
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on |site 14
architecture and land
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