Province announces launch of Urban Park and Waterfront Trail Project at Ontario Place: LANDinc and West 8 to Lead Design

On the 12th of November the Ontario government announced that Toronto based LANDinc, in consortium with West 8, and a diverse multidisciplinary team, have been awarded the contract to provide landscape architectural services for the urban park and waterfront trail at Ontario Place.

As the first portion of land to be developed at the high profile Ontario Place, the future park and trail will become an important element of the full revitalization. The 7.5 acre site is to become a free and accessible park that serves adjacent communities with amenities that engage visitors to the waterfront.

Patrick Morello, Principal at LANDinc notes that the park and trail at Ontario Place, “has the potential to become a new and essential destination along Toronto’s waterfront. One that will be flexible and responsive to the evolving built form of Ontario Place as revitalization progresses.” Morello remarks that LANDinc is thrilled at the opportunity to work with the Province and its partners to create a park that will serve as a “bold step to connect the western waterfront to the City.”

“Guiding the design of the park and waterfront trail is the heritage of Ontario Place as a place of design excellence and innovation and a place of bold and creative ideas for urban and public space,” said Jamie Maslyn Larson, Principal at West 8’s New York office. “We are very excited to join LANDinc in this important project.”

The Province is aiming to have the park and trail open in time for the 2015 Pan /Parapan American Games.

About Ontario Place
Ontario Place is an internationally-recognized complex located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Ontario Place opened in May 1971 as an education, recreation and entertainment centre consisting of three artificial islands connected by picturesque bridges and walkways with the five pods Pavilion and the geodesic dome of the Cinesphere as the focal points.

Understanding the Vision
Toronto has a newly established collection of very good waterfront parks: Sherbourne Common; Sugar Beach and HTO Parks; and more naturalized parks like Harbour Square and Coronation Park. These places provide unique experiences and expressions of Toronto and bring forth the potential to reinvigorate an underused waterfront. What has been missing is the connection of these spaces to the western waterfront – an area with a growing population and a lake edge that holds great potential to become a public focal point that consolidates the city’s sense of identity and outdoor life. The Urban Park and Waterfront Trail at Ontario Place could be such a catalyst and place. Its size – at 7.5 acres – is large enough to support a host of activities and environments. Its location is visually connected to the heart of the City, and its relationship to the Western Channel and Toronto Islands is a prominent point of arrival and departure. Ontario Place deserves a rebirth, and this Park site holds the potential to become an icon for the City and the pride of its people.

Identity that Attracts People
LANDinc and West 8 create spaces with distinctiveness and individuality, partnered with flexible, open-ended spaces that attract new audiences, uses and activity. The team has had great success with this strategy of short-term programming and long term implementation. 

For more information about the revitalization of Ontario Place visit:

Ontario Place Revitalization and Ontario Place

About West 8
West 8 is an international office for urban design and landscape architecture, founded by Adriaan Geuze in 1987 with offices in Rotterdam. Over the last 25 years West 8 has established itself as a leading practice with an international team of 75 architects, urban designers, landscape architects and industrial engineers. With a multi-disciplinary approach to complex design issues, West 8 has extensive experience in large-scale urban master planning and design, landscape developments, waterfront projects, parks, squares, and gardens. They also develop concepts and visions for large-scale planning issues that involve global warming, urbanization, and infrastructure. West 8’s New York office was established after winning an international design competition for the design of Governors Island Park – a 172-acre island in the New York Harbor. 

For more information about West 8 visit www.west8.com

About LANDinc
LANDinc is a Toronto-based consulting firm with extensive experience that includes local and international work involving the public realm, parks and recreation, open space, trails, streetscapes, urban design, ecological restoration and world-class waterfronts. A full service, multidisciplinary firm they are committed to the pursuit of innovative approaches in urban design, landscape architecture and environmental planning. LANDinc’s particular expertise in leading complex public and private sector projects, has paved the way for a diverse portfolio of successful work that responds to unique environmental and cultural processes.

For more information about LANDinc visit www.landinc.ca

Project Facts
Project: Urban Park and Waterfront Trail at Ontario Place
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Design: 2013-2015
Size: 7.5 acres
Client: Ontario Government

For more detailed project information please contact:
Patrick Morello, Principal at LANDinc +1 416.657.8881 x208
Denelle Balfour, Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport Ontario, +1 416-212-3928 
Mandy Downes, Infrastructure Ontario, +1 416-327-5246