Downtown Toronto park to be revitalized through dynamic carbon model

by arslan_ahmed | August 23, 2023 12:19 pm

An aerial view of Toronto’s David Crombie Park.[1]
An aerial view of Toronto’s David Crombie Park.Photo courtesy Arcadis IBI Group.

The design plan for the revitalization of David Crombie Park in downtown Toronto will address the city’s sustainability goals through the application of the architect Arcadis IBI’s dynamic carbon model.

The company’s model tracks carbon inputs and offsets them through the sequestration of carbon outputs. This will help lower the project’s environmental impact.

Joint bidders, Arcadis IBI Group and Copenhagen-based studio, SLA, were selected by the City of Toronto to lead the design for the project. The revitalization of this culturally integral public park will strengthen its role as a major landmark for Toronto’s historic St. Lawrence neighbourhood, as well as support the surrounding social infrastructure and entertainment areas, including the Distillery District and St. Lawrence Market.

The linear park project will span nearly 2 ha (4.94 acres) across seven blocks, making it one of the largest open space projects to take place in the Toronto over the last decade.

The revitalization design is intended to address the end-of-life cycle of many of the park’s hard infrastructure elements, and accommodate the increased use of the park due to ongoing commercial and residential intensification in the area.

The project also calls for Arcadis IBI and SLA to design new cycling infrastructure and streetscape elements to seamlessly connect The Esplanade with the nearby Mill Street east of the park.

The new master plan for the park, which will build upon the conceptual design plan created in the first phase of the project, is a key component of the Old Town–St. Lawrence–Distillery District, as identified in the city’s Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan.

Construction for the park and cycle track is slated to begin in 2024.

“This is one of the most significant public realm projects in Toronto,” says Neno Kovacevic, director of urban design and landscape architecture at Arcadis IBI, and principal-in-charge of the David Crombie Park project. “This project is about people, nature, the connections between them, and the city as a whole,” he added.

Endnotes:
  1. [Image]: https://www.constructioncanada.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/The-Esplanade.jpg

Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/downtown-toronto-park-to-be-revitalized-through-dynamic-carbon-model/