Thomas Balsley Associates and Scott Torrance Landscape Architect have been selected to design a new Aitken Place Park in Bayfront, Toronto. Part of the ongoing revitalization of the East Bayfront precinct, the waterfront park will be a critical component in the establishment of a new vibrant water’s edge community, both a vital amenity to area’s residents and a destination for waterfront visitors.
The design team, comprised of leaders in their respective fields, brings together a wealth and diversity of experience and expertise in award-winning design, waterfront innovation, and sustainability. Recognized as one of the premier designers of urban parks, plazas, and waterfronts throughout North America, New York-based Thomas Balsley Associates will bring its unparalleled public-realm design experience, serving as the lead designer for the project. Scott Torrance Landscape Architect will act as the executive landscape architect, providing critical local knowledge and contextual understanding of the site and surrounding community.
Situated in the heart of emerging East Bayfront neighborhood called Bayside, 0.75-acre Aitken Place Park will serve primarily as a neighborhood amenity and is envisioned as an intimate and comfortable green space for local residents who use it day to day while being flexible enough to support spillover from events on the Inner Harbour and adjacent retail. With a mix of active and passive spaces, it will offer recreational opportunities for young children, as well as quiet places to relax, enjoy nature and take in the lake views.
Park construction is expected to begin in spring 2016 and it will be open for summer 2017. The park will be owned and operated by the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation.
ABOUT THOMAS BALSLEY ASSOCIATES
Thomas Balsley Associates is a New York City-based landscape architecture and urban design practice with a portfolio of award winning work throughout the U.S. and abroad. The firm is best known for its innovative fusion of environmental sustainability and landscape urbanism. Projects such as New York’s Chelsea Waterside Park, Gantry Plaza APark, and Riverside Park South, Dallas’s Main Street Garden, Tampa’s Curtis Hixon Park, and Baltimore’s West Shore Park exemplify the transformative power of public space. The firm has recently won international competitions for Seoul’s Magok Waterfront and Shanghai’s SIPG Harbor Center. Its work has received numerous awards from ASLA, AIA, and EDRA and has been widely published in national and international publications. Tom Balsley lectures and teaches extensively at many civic, design, and academic institutions, including Harvard GSD and UPenn School of Design. Spacemaker Press published a monograph of his work entitled Thomas Balsley: The Urban Landscape.
For more about the firm, visit http://www.tbany.com/
ABOUT SCOTT TORRANCE LANDSCAPE ARCHTECT
Scott Torrance Landscape Architect Inc., established in 2004, is a client-focused practice dedicated to providing the highest in client service and design excellence in the public, private and corporate sector. The majority of its work is realized in the diverse urban fabric of Toronto: a city of 2.5 million people, with a dense tree canopy, cut by deep ravines and located on the shores of Lake Ontario. The practice strives to augment and enrich the urban experience for people by connecting them to nature and enhancing site ecologies. Scott Torrance Landscape Architect advocates strongly for planting native and non-invasive species, reusing storm water runoff, incorporating green roofs and increasing biodiversity in the urban environment.
For more info about the firm, visit http://scotttorrance.ca/