BCP Competition Winner: ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE
Winners of the Brunswick-College Parkette Design Competition
Judges’ Second Choice:
Photo: HVRA Past Chair Gus Sinclair presents award to Dimitri Papatheodorou, for All the World is a Stage
ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE
Dimitri Papatheodorou
Dimitri Papatheodorou Architect
Toronto, Canada
See complete submission here (pdf)
View from sidewalk along College Street looking north — showing bulletin board
View from sidewalk along Brunswick Avenue looking south-east
Designers' Description
The Parkette is designed to be an inclusive place, and to accommodate the needs of a diverse and immersed public.
The impediment of the planters has been removed, and steps have been inserted to give public access to the conversion of the ground oor at the west end of Kensington Health Centre; we suggest at a minimum a cafe style establishment be located here, to allow for spill over into the parkette. The lower terrace area now becomes a delightful cafe. Awnings/umbrellas may be added to create a cozy feeling.
Judges' CommentsJane Hutton, The canopy at College Street draws people into the parkette and provides much needed shade and an interesting frame to see the park from College Street. It also deals with the concrete vent in a creative way. I would think densely planting the court with limbed up trees would extend the shade throughout the parkette – in the plan the existing street trees appear very sparse. I would question the heavy stage backdrop, as it might be more interesting to be able to see up Brunswick Avenue – leaving the stage more as a plinth. I think both grass and pea gravel would be difficult at this site, and could imagine either compacted screenings or some kind of hard surfacing that differed from the concrete sidewalk. More thought would need to be given to the table and rock elements; more seating under the shade canopy would be good. Victor S. Ford, Form is good. Indoor/Outdoor relationship with adjacent building is excellent. Strong elements include site furniture, stage. Well articulated and detailed. Sophisticated. Good potential. 4th choice of Did a good job by introducing the Bulletin Board, and I really liked how it offered the cover/sun shade. Having said that, their basic premise that this Parkette would be a place for concerts and therefore they'd build it around a stage...well...I find that a bit of a stretch. I just don't think this Parkette is going to end up being a stage setting for concerts. Michelle Reid Nice open shallow steps to health centre. Steve Webber: No comment. |
An elevated platform is placed at the north end of the parkette, which can be used as a stage for variety of performances/events. The platform frames the parkette and bu ers it from the vehicular ramp to the north. A spacious court to the south of the stage can be used for spectators during performances, or perhaps as a gathering place for kids to play, adults to meet, or young people to socialize. This is the largest area of the parkette, and it may be rendered either as a lawn, pea-gravel, or hard surfacing, depending on maintenance requirements, and budget.
Located toward the south end of the parkette is an overhang or Sun-Shade.
This space functions as a socializing place, complete with patio furniture (to be determined) allowing for seating and gathering. The optional Sun-Shade device is framed on the east by the enclosed ventilation grill. By enclosing the vent around its sides, and creating a structure that supports the Sun-Shade, we can aff ord the community a new wall space for a bulletin board.
Finally, the trees on the site need to be addressed from a technical point of view. The viability of the existing species, the location of the trees, in addition to the size and health of the trees, need to be studied in more detail to determine retention and/or replacement.
Competition Coordinators' summary notes
The “fragmented” canopy above the stage while creating some shade in summer will provide little protection against rain – which might allow it to overcome City Parks’ objections to canopies in general as encouragers of vagrancy. Otherwise it does raise questions re installation and eventual maintenance costs.
The bulletin board is popular with many and it should serve as a distributor of local news and a coordinator of local activities but it might be source of litter unless it is well cared for. More important: it provides a hiding place in an alley that is much narrower in reality than shown in the illustration.
The lightweight, unattached furniture is too flimsy and too easy to steal or throw around for public use – unless it is brought in or chained every evening. It may need to be replaced with furniture that is more solid and heavier if not anchored in place. (It will also need to be comfortable for sitting but not sleeping on.)
Presence of large rocks as decorative and play features is a plus (for being resistant to vandalism and not catchers of garbage as well as beautiful).
Underground KHC parking vents – it is not clear in this design what will be done to remove, maintain or protect them.
An attractive design which begs the opening up of the west side of KHC (not shown in the submission) to non-medical café and retail uses which will attract a greater number and diversity of users than the parkette does at present.
(Richard Longley)