Client: Hackman Capital Partners - Project Partners: SOM, Adamson Associates
Basin Media Studios - Toronto
Project Info
While creating a suite of immersive settings that deliberately references Ontario’s rich native ecosystem, !melk’s overall landscape design for Basin Media Studios establishes a functional and robust framework that caters to the complexity associated with a media and studio campus development.
Within the overall site design, several key spaces are featured. Specifically located at each of the entrances to the site are Bouchette Gate, Heritage Gate, Logan Gate, and Carlaw Gate. At the water’s edge along the Ship Channel is the fifth key space of the campus, the Town Square – a flexible events space that simultaneously serves as the main pedestrian arrival point. The semi-public Town Square connects the site to the Waterfront Promenade which !melk designed to feature a variety of outdoor “rooms” culminating at a “sun deck” located at the bend of the turning basin. There, one finds an active area equipped with F&B and ample seating. The Waterfront Promenade is designed to be accessible by pedestrians but also intended to serve as spill-out space for the campus buildings.
!melk’s design draws from both the ecological and the industrial history of the Port Lands area, with the ambition to establish a relevant and sustainable identity for the place. Drawing from species native to the upland forest, riparian zone, and marshland land typologies, the planting palette features numerous shade trees, shrubs and flowering species that are native to the Ontario region and support pollinators and micro-habitats - all selected with a specific seasonal choreography in mind.
In the Spring and Autumn, several blooming species with interesting flowers and textures, as well as the bright orange and red tones of the oaks and aspens become true attractions. In Summer, a dense, continuous tree canopy offers ample shade for the promenade and the various “pockets” of gatherings areas and picnic lawns. Since Toronto experiences harsh winters, evergreen shrubs are used to shield the winter wind, and bright red osier dogwoods offer a unique, colorful contrast to the Toronto winter scene.
While creating a suite of immersive settings that deliberately references Ontario’s rich native ecosystem, !melk’s overall landscape design for Basin Media Studios establishes a functional and robust framework that caters to the complexity associated with a media and studio campus development.
Within the overall site design, several key spaces are featured. Specifically located at each of the entrances to the site are Bouchette Gate, Heritage Gate, Logan Gate, and Carlaw Gate. At the water’s edge along the Ship Channel is the fifth key space of the campus, the Town Square – a flexible events space that simultaneously serves as the main pedestrian arrival point. The semi-public Town Square connects the site to the Waterfront Promenade which !melk designed to feature a variety of outdoor “rooms” culminating at a “sun deck” located at the bend of the turning basin. There, one finds an active area equipped with F&B and ample seating. The Waterfront Promenade is designed to be accessible by pedestrians but also intended to serve as spill-out space for the campus buildings.
!melk’s design draws from both the ecological and the industrial history of the Port Lands area, with the ambition to establish a relevant and sustainable identity for the place. Drawing from species native to the upland forest, riparian zone, and marshland land typologies, the planting palette features numerous shade trees, shrubs and flowering species that are native to the Ontario region and support pollinators and micro-habitats - all selected with a specific seasonal choreography in mind.
In the Spring and Autumn, several blooming species with interesting flowers and textures, as well as the bright orange and red tones of the oaks and aspens become true attractions. In Summer, a dense, continuous tree canopy offers ample shade for the promenade and the various “pockets” of gatherings areas and picnic lawns. Since Toronto experiences harsh winters, evergreen shrubs are used to shield the winter wind, and bright red osier dogwoods offer a unique, colorful contrast to the Toronto winter scene.