Virtual Reality Tour of Underpass Park

The ASLA has put together an incredible virtual reality tour, guided by Greg Smallenberg, of Toronto’s award winning Underpass Park.

ASLA selected Underpass Park because it won the ASLA 2016 Professional Award of Excellence. Less than 1 percent of all award submissions receive this honor. This virtual reality tour was featured at the recent ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO in New Orleans.

Virtual Reality is an emerging tool for Landscape Architecture. It allows people to “visit” a space that they may otherwise never have a chance to experience. It allows people to experience the value of landscape architecture without having to go anywhere.

You can view the video on your phone or desktop computer, without needing to have the virtual reality headset.

Viewing Options

Option 1: Watch a 360 Video on YouTube

If you are on your phone reading this page, simply click on this URL and watch it in your YouTube mobile app: https://youtu.be/IUr2g5rabaU (please note that this video will not work on your mobile browser)

Be sure to turn around while watching so you can see all angles of the park!

Or if you are on a desktop computer, go to https://youtu.be/IUr2g5rabaU using your Chrome browser. Use the sphere icon to navigate through the park!

Option 2: Watch a 3D 360 Video on Samsung Gear VR

If you own a Samsung Gear VR headset and compatible Samsung phone, go to Samsung Gear via the Oculus App and search for “Underpass Park” or “ASLA” to find our video.

Video Credits
Producer: American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
Production Company: DimensionGate, Toronto
Director: Ian Tuason
Director of Photography: Jon Riera
Narrator: Greg Smallenberg, FASLA, principal, PFS Studio
Camera Assistant: Mark Valino
Post Production: Connor Illsley
Skateboarders: Cris Fonseca and Dan Everson

Photo by Tom Arban

PFS at the Smithsonian

Greg Smallenberg + Chris Phillips arriving at the opening reception

PFS Principals Greg Smallenberg, Chris Phillips, Kelty McKinnon, Jeffrey Staates and Jennifer Nagai attended last nights opening reception “By the People: Designing a Better America” at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City.

The exhibition features PFS Studio’s award winning Underpass Park as one of 60 socially responsible design projects from Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The exhibition opens to the public today and runs through to February 26th, 2017.

Jeffrey Staates + Greg Smallenberg in front of the Underpass Park display

 

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
2 East 91st Street
New York, NY

Hours: Sunday through Friday, 10 am to 6 pm, and Saturday, 10 am to 9 pm

ASLA Win for Underpass Park

Photo by Tom Arban

PFS Studio is honoured to announce that Toronto’s Underpass Park is the recipient of the American Society of Landscape Architect’s prestigious Award of Excellence, the highest honour given in the General Design category.

Selected from 459 entries, the ASLA awards honor top public, commercial, residential, institutional, planning, communications and research projects in the U.S. and around the world.

Click here for the ASLA’s announcement and complete list of award recipients.

The September issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) features the winning projects and is available online for free viewing here.

Top Left and Bottom Photos by Tom Arban  | Top Right Photo by Natta Summerky

About Underpass Park

Underpass Park is a unique public space located under and around the Richmond and Adelaide overpasses in downtown east Toronto, this new park transformed a derelict and underused space into a functional and engaging urban neighbourhood amenity, reconnecting new and preexisting neighbourhoods in a dynamic and flexible manner. What was once a “no man’s land” now provides recreational facilities, public art, gathering places and a venue for community events. Residents of the new West Don Lands community, particularly those in the north-eastern section of the community, are now actively connected with new neighbourhoods to the south and with the new commercial heart along Front Street East, also designed by PFS Studio.

Approximately 50% of the park is covered by transportation infrastructure. The design takes full advantage of this weather protection and has incorporated recreational spaces including a skate board park, basketball courts and play structures for all ages. The park also provides a flexible community space that can be used for markets, festivals, food trucks and moveable cafes. In the open areas of the park, dense groves of trees and robust perennial grasses bring much needed green space to the area and create a natural and iconic pedestrian gateway to this area of the West Don Lands.

PFS Studio was strongly supported by The Planning Partnership as well as Paul Raff Studio, who created the park’s public art piece, ‘Mirage’.

PFS wins Major Planning Project in Foshan, China

PFS Studio has been awarded a major Landscape Architecture and Planning project in Foshan, China.

The BC Government released the following press release on May 10, 2016.

Foshan Land Planning Bureau and PFS Studio ( Landscape & Urban Design) – With the strong support of B.C.’s Trade and Investment representative in Guangzhou, PFS Studio has won the bidding for a major Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning Project in Foshan.  Foshan Land Planning Bureau signed a US$2.99-million trade deal with PFS Studio in Vancouver to undertake the planning and design that will transform a large expanse of the city’s waterfront and associate development.  Both Foshan and PFS Studio expect this project to become a new model for city building, sustainability and environmentally sensitive design as well as a strong example of business cooperation between Guangdong and British Columbia.

To see the full press release click here.

Governor General’s Medal in Architecture

 

Bridgepoint Active Healthcare in Toronto was awarded a Royal Architecture Institute of Canada (RAIC) Governor General’s Medal in Architecture. Bridgepoint Health is Toronto’s first hospital to receive a LEED Silver Rating.

PFS Studio’s Jeffrey Staates and team worked with a complex team including Stantec Architecture/ KPMB Architects and HDR Architecture to create an innovative and inclusive healthcare environment.

PFS was responsible for the Urban Design and Landscape Architecture of this project, integrating the public realm of the campus  with the neighbourhood  and Riverdale Park, and creating a new park setting for the historic Don Jail.

“The interior and exterior spaces join to promote health, with areas for outdoor meeting, retreating and conversation.  The former jail at the centre of the site opens onto public gathering space; connecting the grounds with the wider world.” Juror

You can read the full article by clicking here.

 

 

Award for Planning Excellence

Zibi at Chaudiere Island, Ottawa,  just won the Canadian Institute for Planners (CIP) Award for Planning Excellence.

PFS Studio’s, Jeffrey Staates and team, worked alongside with Windmill Development Group, Perkins + Will and FOTENN Planning + Design, to create a “One Planet Community” framework that guides sustainability and eco-friendly planning through a series of key design principles.

PFS was responsible for creating the public open space master plan, consisted of a series of nine interconnected neighbourhoods that are each focused around an integrated network of public squares, adaptive reuse of heritage resources, new waterfront parks, and pedestrian access routes.

You can read the full article by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Windmill Development Group

 

Urban Design Award for Telus Garden

A City of Vancouver Urban Design Award was presented to Telus Garden in the category of Urban Elements.

Projects are chosen for their contribution to the overall experience of design in the city. The jury carefully considers the design of public spaces and how buildings interact with these spaces.

PFS Studio was responsible for the public plaza, alley and terrace designs for this Leed Platinum project.

You can read more about the awards here.

Photo by Ed White Photographics.

 

The Art of Landscape Architecture

Coal Harbour Seawall, Vancouver | Photo by Brett Ryan

Greg Smallenberg and Jeffrey Staates, both Principals at PFS Studio, along with Bruce Hinckley, of Seattle landscape architecture and design firm Alchemie, were recently interviewed by the Vancouver Sun about the profession of Landscape Architecture.

The article aims to shed light on the profession and the role of the Landscape Architect in placemaking and city building. In the article, Greg credits Landscape Architecture as one of the main reasons that Vancouver is one of the world’s most livable cities – with Landscape Architects, having played a role in the development of our Vancouverism Urban topologies, and are primarily being responsible for the design of our city’s sea walls, waterfronts, plazas, parks and streetscapes.

It’s great to see Landscape Architecture getting some recognition!

You can read the full article by clicking here.

 

 

Architizer A+ Award for Telus Garden

Vancouver’s Telus Garden has won both the Popluar Choice and the Jury Award in the category of Office – High-Rise (16+ Floors), in this years Architizer A+Awards.

The Architizer A+Awards celebrates the year’s best architecture and products. Its mission is to nurture the appreciation of meaningful architecture in the world and champion its potential for a positive impact on everyday life.

PFS Studio worked with Henriquez Partners Architects on this development that “radically transformed an aging block of downtown Vancouver into a future friendly community that fuses beauty, functionality and environmental stewardship.”

Click here for more about Telus Garden, and here to see the other award winners.

 

Photos by Ed White.

MOV: Talk and Tour with Kelty McKinnon

Partner, Kelty McKinnon, PFS Studio, along with Joe Frye of Hapa Collaborative and Derek Lee of PWL Partnership, will discuss the process of city building, at the Museum of Vancouver, on Thursday, May 5 at 7pm.

The presentation, “Public Realm Design Essentials: Program, Process, Price”, will cover the true necessities to building public space in the current climate, and how design professionals can assist the public to understand its value.

Kelty, Joe and Derek, will focus on what they see as three vital issues in the design of the contemporary public realm: program, process and price.

For tickets and information, please click here.

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