West 8

WEST 8

urban design + landscape architecture

about west 8 Borneo-Sporenburg Schouwburgplein Toronto Central Waterfront

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Madrid RIO Various Projects

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table of contents

about west 8 West 8 is an award-winning international office for urban design and landscape architecture, founded

by Adriaan Geuze in 1987. Over the last 20 years West 8 has established itself as a leading practice with an international team of 70 architects, urban designers, landscape architects and industrial engineers. West 8’s main office is based at the port of Rotterdam, and has three branch offices in Belgium, New York and Toronto. West 8’s New York office was established after winning an international design competition for the design of Governors Island Park a 172-acre island in the New York Harbor. West 8’s Toronto office primarily serves the local Waterfront Project.

WEST 8 founder Adriaan Geuze

Borneo-Sporenburg 1993-1996, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Two peninsulas in the eastern part of the Amsterdam docks, were to be exploited for water-related activities, as well as 2500 low-rise dwelling units, with a density of 100 units per hectare. For a new interpretation of the traditional Dutch canal house, West 8 suggested new types of three-storey, ground-accessed houses deviating from the usual terraced house in being strongly oriented to the private realm by incorporating patios and roof gardens. By repeating this type in a great variety of dwelling modes and with maximum architectural variation, an animated street elevation emerges with a focus on the individual. At a larger scale, a delicately balanced relationship exists between the repetition of the individual dwellings, the roofscape and the great scale of the docks. Three immense sculptural blocks take their place as landmarks in the vast expanse of houses.

Schouwburgplein 1991-1996, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Situated in the heart of the city and surrounded by shops and theatres, the design emphasizes the importance of a void, which opens a panorama towards the city skyline. The square is designed as an interactive public space, flexible in use, and changing during day and seasons. Its appearance is a reflection the Port of Rotterdam. By raising the surface of the square above the surrounding area, the void was retained and the “city’s stage” created.

Toronto Central Waterfront

2006, Toronto, Canada

n June 2006, West 8 in joint venture with DTAH received the prestigious recognition in winning the Toronto Central Waterfront Innovative Design competition. Connectivity between the vitality of the city and the lake and a continuous, publicly accessible waterfront are the focal points of the plan. The first phase of realization is now underway and includes the design and reconstruction of Queen’s Quay Boulevard and the design of public space wave decks and timber bridges at seven heads of slips.

The Simcoe WaveDeck, one

of four uniquely Canadian wavedecks planned for the Waterfront Toronto, is as artistic as it is functional. Located at the water’s edge, the wooden wavedeck features an informal public amphitheatre-style space with impressive curves that soar as high as 2.6 metres above the lake.

Inspired by the Canadian cottage experience and the shorelines of Ontario’s great lakes, the wavedeck is meant to give urban dwellers a feel for life at the lake. Providing access to Lake Ontario is a key priority for Waterfront Toronto.

Built in less than eight months, the Simcoe WaveDeck joins the Spadina WaveDeck which opened last year in creating more public space along one of the most heavily used parts of the Toronto shoreline. The third Rees Wavedeck was opened in August.

The wavedecks are just one part of Waterfront Toronto’s award-winning design for the central waterfront. The plan also includes a continuous water’s edge promenade and boardwalk; a series of pedestrian footbridges connecting major attractions on the waterfront.

Madrid RIO 2006, Madrid, Spain

The city of Madrid dug 43 kilometres of tunnels into which the exit routes and motorways of the six-kilometre section along the River Manzanares disappeared. West 8, working together with MRIO, designed the master plan for the reclaimed riverbanks and the new urban area. Development plans were then prepared for the individual components: Sal贸n de Pinos, Avenida de Portugal, Huerta de la Partida, Jardines de Puente de Segovia, Jardines de Puente de Toledo, Jardines de la Virgen del Puerto and Parque de la Arganzuela. The first parts were completed in spring 2007.

Various Projects