Six design teams shortlisted to participate in the Pier 8 Promenade Park Design Competition

HAMILTON, ON  –  May 31, 2017 - The City of Hamilton today announced that of the fourteen design teams that responded to the call for applications to participate in the Pier 8 Promenade Park Design Competition, six design teams have been shortlisted.

The Promenade Park, approved by Council as part of the Pier 7+8 Urban Design Study, is an integral feature in the City of Hamilton’s bold vision for an accessible, inclusive, diverse and mixed-use waterfront district. Interested firms were asked to assemble teams that included experts in the areas of landscape architecture; architecture; electrical, structural and mechanical engineering; irrigation; public art; and cost estimation.

Design teams were evaluated based on the team’s experience in design and construction of waterfront public spaces or urban plazas; awards won for past projects; team members’ education and qualifications in their areas of expertise; the firm’s ability to successfully administrate the construction of the park; and familiarity with the local community.

Over the next ten weeks, the following six participating design teams will independently prepare designs for the Promenade Park. The designs will be presented at a public event in August and available for public review and comment. A volunteer jury of experts will select the winning design based on design excellence, innovation, response to the vision and goals for the park, and community opinions.

Participating design teams

The MBTW Group
MBTW is a multi-disciplinary landscape architecture, urban design and community planning firm located in Toronto that has been in business for over 40 years.

Other team members include: PWL Partnership; RAW Design; AMEC Foster Wheeler; Kirkland Engineering Ltd.; Blackwell Structural Engineers; Brad Golden & Co.; Beaches Irrigation; and A.W. Hooker Quantity Surveyors.

Hargreaves Associates
Hargreaves is a landscape architecture firm based in San Francisco, California, that has been in business for over 30 years.

Other team members include: Invizij Architects; MTE Consultants; Smart Watering Systems; Suzanne Powadiuk Design; Public Art Management (PAM); and A.W. Hooker Quantity Surveyors.

Janet Rosenberg & Studio
Janet Rosenberg & Studio is a landscape architecture and urban design studio with offices in Toronto and Vancouver.

Other team members include: Teeple Architects; Ombrages-Eclairage Public; Dew; exp Services Inc.; Art Strategies Inc.; Smart Watering Systems; and Turner & Townsend.

Forrec Ltd.
Forrec Ltd. is an entertainment design company based in Toronto comprised of specialists in the fields of creative arts, architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, and graphics. The firm’s landscape architecture studio was established in 2004.

Other team members include: CIMA+; exp Services Inc.; Creative Irrigation Solutions Inc. (CIS); Andrew Davies Public Art Consulting; and Altus.

PFS Studio
PFS is a planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm based in Vancouver and has been in business for over 30 years.

Other team members include: OMC Landscape Architecture; Bortolotto; public art consultant Ciara McKeown; Ombrages-Eclairage Public; SLA; exp Services Inc.; Creative Irrigation Solutions Inc. (CIS); and Hanscomb.

gh3
gh3, a Toronto based firm formed in 2005, is comprised of landscape architects, architects and designers.

Other team members include: Lightemotion; Applied Wayfinding; Moses Structural Engineers; Moon Matz; Fabian Papa Partners; Brad Golden & Co.; Creative Irrigation Solutions Inc. (CIS); and BTY.

Quick facts

• Design submissions will be presented at a public meeting in August 2017 and open for public comment in person and online
• The winning design will be announced in September 2017
• Construction on the park is anticipated to begin in early 2018
• The last major design competition, held in Hamilton in 1928, resulted in the High Level Bridge and Rock Garden
• Design competition costs, including design team stipends and jury costs, will be covered through an $185,000 donation from the Patrick J. McNally Charitable Foundation
• View more information about the Pier 8 Promenade Park
• Learn more about Hamilton's Waterfront Redevelopment

“I congratulate the finalists in the design competition and look forward to seeing the design proposals for a new, high-quality public space on Hamilton’s waterfront. I also welcome the community to get involved and provide input on what will ultimately be an asset for all of our city’s residents to enjoy.” - Jason Thorne, General Manager, Planning and Economic Development