OAA AWARD SUBMISSION 2016 Design Excellence Prince Arthur’s Landing Thunder Bay, ON
Prince Arthur’s Landing incorporates a range of buildings, landscapes and public art that express the deep cultural roots of the Thunder Bay waterfront and acknowledge the ten thousand year history of settlement on this site. The architects were tasked with implementing a master plan they created in 2006 which was to take an existing underutilized park and turn it into a mixed use, year round destination. The scope included architecture and landscape architecture as well as public art coordination and collaboration. The architects lead over 30 sub consultants and worked within a constrained project schedule completing $60,000,000 of construction work (from design to substantial completion) in 3 years. The buildings and outdoor spaces were holistically designed by the architects in concert with an ambitious public art program. The key buildings, the Water Garden Pavilion and the Baggage Building Arts Centre, create important year round destinations for recreation, culture and the arts. A restaurant, splash pad/skating rink, skateboard park, trails, Aboriginal gardens, public art installations and outdoor amphitheatre support year-round public activities. The design evolved from a series of public workshops that drew together Native and non-Native community representatives. Since opening, the site has seen 5 times the number of users (100,000 annually) and 9 new local businesses. Ultimately what the project hopes to achieve is – that a city – if designed with empathy and creativity – has the potential to capture the genius loci of a landscape and its confluence with the stories of its people in a manner that can be both affirmative and transformative. Key Elements The Water Garden Pavilion supports key activities including, skating, swimming, dining, cultural events and programs. The pavilion plays an important role bringing residents and visitors to the waterfront year-round. The architects were inspired by the image of a clearing in a forest expressed with a wrapping shroud of randomly spaced wood columns
on three sides of the building. The Pavilion is LEED Gold certified incorporating sustainable features including radiant floor heating, photovoltaic panels, green roof, heat reclaim from the ice-plant refrigeration system, passive solar control, recycled materials, native low maintenance vegetation, and a high performance envelope featuring triple glazing. The Baggage Building Arts Centre combines the restoration of an historic railway building with a new addition to create a community arts centre, gallery and bookstore. The LEED Gold complex and its surrounding outdoor spaces were designed as a whole creating spill-put spaces for displays, arts classes and performances. The importance of this cultural landscape as a ’hinge-point in history’ for the Métis is conveyed through interpretative elements, the Red River waterfall and signage. Landscape – The waterfront landscape includes both natural and built environments that are instilled with a design sensitivity that balances environmental, social and economic prosperity. The natural environment incorporates sustainable design techniques such as non-invasive species planting, low irrigation planting (no sprinkler systems on site), storm water filtration and locally sourced materials. Derelict areas of the shoreline have been transformed into ecologically rich wetlands typical to the Thunder Bay Region. Bioengineering techniques were used to rehabilitate these areas which now support fish and bird habitats. Public Art - Central to the project is a unique approach of ‘embedded culture’ whereby public art is integrated throughout the built elements of the waterfront – the buildings, landscapes and site furnishings. The art links the experience of place to cultural touchstones including poetry, prose and extracts from letters written by historical figures that reflect Thunder Bay’s unique history and culture. The integrated process had the architects working directly with public artists to achieve the goals of embedded culture throughout the waterfront.
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PRINCE ARTHUR’S LANDING SITE PLAN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
SPIRIT GARDEN PIER 1 PIER 2 / VIEWING CIRCLE PIER 3 WATER GARDEN PAVILION ICE RINK / SPLASH PAD WATERFRONT PLAZA MARKET SQUARE HISTORIC CN STATION BAGGAGE BUILDING ARTS CENTRE SKATE PARK POND PAVILION FESTIVAL AREA PORT ARTHUR / CITY OF THUNDER BAY LAKE SUPERIOR
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The Water Garden Pavilion: The inspiration for the building was an image of a clearing in a forest. The Water Garden Pavilion is wrapped in a shroud of randomly spaced wood columns on the three sides of the building. Left: The design seeks to bring the presence of the lake into the fabric of the downtown and to provide new opportunities for people to actively engage the water. Previous page: The WaterGarden is a magnet for children and families in the summer and in winter transforms into a skating rink. The centre island and its outdoor fireplace provide a warming area for skaters.
WATER GARDEN PAVILION GROUND FLOOR PLAN
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1. MARINERS HALL 2. MENS CHANGE/ WC 3. WOMENS CHANGE/ WC 4. THE LODGE/WARM UP ROOM 5. OFFICE 6. FAMILY WC 7. SUPPORT ROOM 8. ICE RESURFACER GARAGE 9. KITCHEN 10. KITCHEN AMENITIES 11. GARBAGE/ RECYCLING ROOM 12. THE CLEARING RESTAURANT
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WATER GARDEN PAVILION GROUND FLOOR PLAN 12
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MARINERS HALL MENS CHANGE/ WC WOMENS CHANGE/ WC THE LODGE/WARM UP ROOM OFFICE FAMILY WC SUPPORT ROOM ICE RESURFACER GARAGE KITCHEN KITCHEN AMENITIES GARBAGE/ RECYCLING ROOM THE CLEARING RESTAURANT
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WATER GARDEN PAVILION SECTION A PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS B. GREEN ROOF C. PASSIVE COOLING D. EFFICIENT RADIANT HEATING SYSTEM E. WASTE HEAT RECYCLING F. HIGH PERFORMANCE ENVELOPE
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WATER GARDEN PAVILION SECTION 0 m
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Water Garden North elevation: Mariner’s Hall serves as both an exhibition space and place for community gatherings. Its design is inspired by the heroic form of Lake Superior’s `Laker’ ships.
Above: The Lodge within the WaterGarden Pavilion is a public change room and warm-up area. The colours selected were based on scans of autumn leaves collected on site. Left: Mariner’s Hall interior: The roof structure is a curving truss system that supports clerestory windows running the full length of the building - reminiscent of naval structures.
The Jardin Elliptique is the central gateway to Prince Arthur’s Landing. In the background, a 19th century railway structure, restored and expanded with a twostorey addition, hosts the Baggage Building Arts Centre.
Interior view of the Baggage Building Arts Centre.
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EXISTING BAGGAGE BUILDING
STUDIO DISPLAY ELEVATOR PROMENADE ARTISAN STUDIOS ARTISAN SUPPORT STUDIO KILN ROOM MECHANICAL ROOM PUMP ROOM
BAGGAGE BUILDING LOWER PLAN
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EXISTING BAGGAGE BUILDING 4
COMMUNITY ARTS STUDIO WET AREA/ STORAGE ELEVATOR OPEN TO BELOW STUDIO SPACE / RESTORED HERITAGE STRUCTURE STORAGE OFFICE
BAGGAGE BUILDING UPPER PLAN
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Interior views of the Baggage Building Arts Centre. Artists’ studios, exhibition spaces, teaching spaces and a gift gallery have become a community hub for the arts on Thunder Bay’s waterfront.
The Living Shoreline transformed what was once a lacklustre man-made cinder beach into a lush, naturalized wetland landscape using native plant materials.
Looking east along Pier 2 with Nanabijou (the Sleeping Giant) land form on the horizon. A sequence of picnic docks and lanterns cantilever over the water providing gathering places along the path to the Viewing Circle overlooking Lake Superior.
The Viewing Circle located at the end of Pier 2 gently slopes towards the lake -oriented towards Nanabijou (The Sleeping Giant). The design was inspired by ‘Round Dance’ — a poem by the celebrated Blackfoot author Sarain Stump which is transcribed on the circumference of the elevated terrace. Don’t break this circle Before the song is over Because all of our people Even the ones long gone Are holding hands. // Round Dance, Sarain Stump
Waterfront Plaza: Landscaped tiers provide an informal outdoor amphitheatre overlooking the lake.
Top: A series of 10 laser-cut weathering steel panels wrap the
Pier 2 Picnic Docks: Lit up at night, each lantern illuminates colourful
circumference of the Celebration Circle. They depict drawings
glass panels by artist Mark Nisenholt. His work, Paleogirls,
by celebrated Anishinaabe artists Randy Thomas and Roy Thomas.
Swimmers, Ulysses, depicts giant figures emerging from Lake Superior.
Above: An excerpt from Jean Pendziwol’s children’s story, The Red Sash, is positioned on the wall of the Children’s Pond Pavilion. It references the history of the Rendezvous at Fort William where Métis Voyageurs came together with Aboriginal traders and the North West Trading Company.
Custom granite and wood seating structures become
The waterfall at Jardin Elliptique overlooks the WaterGarden and further to Lake Superior.
cultural surfaces where excerpts from poetry and prose
The back wall behind the waterfall entitled ‘Embedded History’ was created by artists
tell the story of Thunder Bay and its people.
Steven Beites & Christian Joakim of Studio Kimiis. The blended surfaces of the concrete water-feature wall depict textures of wood grains and f lowing water, representing the emergence of the Métis people from two distinct cultures.