PLANT Architect Inc.
The project comprises a new controlled crossing and reconfigured road-island. It is part of a larger project to provide interpretation, accessibility, and environmental control for the Lower Don Recreational Trail. The project improves the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, and choreographs an experience of the landscape.
On either side of the intersection, users are met with thresholds of benches and grating. A new path is marked with blue ground-imprinted water graphics to both navigate the journey and signal the presence of the Don River. Orientation maps on sculpted surfaces mirror the topography. Markers illustrate the flood heights of past, present, and future storms.
Photo: Peter Legris
Photo: Peter Legris
Photo: Peter Legris
Photo: Chris Pommer/PLANT
Photo: Peter Legris
“The project demonstrates that some creative thinking applied to what seems to be a mundane problem results in a safety-based solution that is also a very handsome piece of road infrastructure. This project provides a lesson in the value of thoughtful and multi-functional design solutions that many municipalities could take to heart."