Spadina WaveDeck Wins Another Prestigious Award

Toronto, May 5, 2009 – Waterfront Toronto’s Spadina WaveDeck has received another prestigious design award, this time from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The Spadina WaveDeck earned a 2009 Honor Award from the ASLA in its General Design category and was one of two Toronto waterfront projects honoured this year.

Each year, the ASLA honours the best in landscape architecture and urban design from around the globe. The 2009 competition featured over 600 entries from around the world.

Since opening eight months ago, the Spadina WaveDeck, designed by West 8 and du Toit Allsopp Hillier (DTAH) has received two leading design awards and was the first Canadian project ever to be short-listed for the world-acclaimed Brit Insurance Design Awards.

“We’re so pleased that the Spadina WaveDeck has been honoured again,” said John Campbell, President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. “This project exemplifies what Waterfront Toronto means when we say that design excellence is part of everything we do. It’s a public gathering place that is also a stunning piece of art.”

The Spadina WaveDeck is the first of four dynamic wavedecks planned for the end of major waterfront streets. Two more dramatic wavedecks will open at Rees and Simcoe Streets this summer.

“The design for the wavedecks is inspired in part by Ontario’s Great Lake shoreline and the cottage experience,” said Adriaan Geuze, Principal, West 8. “They’re meant to give urban dwellers the illusion of an authentic Canadian landscape and a feel for life at the lake.”

To construct this urban deck, West 8 + DTAH chose timber to create a flexible gathering place that curves playfully like a wave along the shoreline. The stairs act as an informal amphitheatre while the deck itself provides different vantage points and experiences with the lake. In the evenings, the space is kept alive with 24 underwater LED lights.

The wavedecks are just one part of West 8 + DTAH’s comprehensive design to convert Toronto’s central waterfront into a dynamic public area with continuous access to the lake. The design also includes a water’s edge promenade and boardwalk with a series of bridges that allow pedestrians to stroll over slips and inlets. The transformation of Queens Quay into a grand boulevard that will rival the world’s best streets is also an integral part of the design.

This bold and innovative design for the central waterfront has also received important awards recognition. It has been honoured with two Toronto Urban Design Awards, as well as a National Merit Award from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects.

Design excellence is a core priority and differentiator for Waterfront Toronto. Everything we build on the waterfront — from buildings to streets to parks and public art — will set new standards for architecture and public space.

To help achieve and uphold our standards for design excellence, Waterfront Toronto hosts international design competitions, works with some of world’s top architects and landscape designers and incorporates urban design as an important component in our environmental assessment process. The Waterfront Design Review Panel, an independent body comprised of some of Canada’s most prestigious architects and planners also guides and informs our projects.

The Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario and the City of Toronto created Waterfront Toronto to oversee and lead the renewal of Toronto’s waterfront. Public accessibility, design excellence, sustainable development, economic development and fiscal sustainability are the key drivers of waterfront revitalization.

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For background information on the Spadina WaveDeck and construction updates for the Simcoe and Rees WaveDecks, please visit the WaveDecks project page. 

For more information about the 2009 American Society of Landscape Architects Awards, please visit ASLA's website - www.asla.org.

Media Contact – Samantha Gileno, Waterfront Toronto