Berczy Park
Berczy Park
Toronto (Ontario), Canada

Iconic urban park revitalized to address evolving community needs.

Berczy Park is an iconic little park in a booming mixed-use neighbourhood. Positioned at the threshold between three iconic neighbourhoods – St. Lawrence, the Old Town, and the Financial District, Berczy Park is surrounded by some of the few remaining downtown blocks in Toronto that can still be counted as picturesque. A foreground of historic human scale facades and a backdrop of futuristic skyscrapers create a unique setting continually charged by a dynamic diversity in one of the densest neighbourhoods in the city.

The redesign for the park is composed of a plaza with a large fountain and detailed granite paving motif, an activity green space for passive activities, and a perennial garden next to the historic Flatiron Building with its iconic mural. Pathways running diagonally through the space establish long trajectories and sight lines to make this small park feel big. Scott Street just west of Berczy Park is to be formally integrated into the design as a pedestrian dominated space that merges seamlessly with its surrounding context.

The continuing surge in the number of dog owners has been manifest into a signature and playful fountain that merges a classic Victorian two-tiered fountain with a menagerie of spouting life-sized dog figures. Inspired by the park’s past and present, it will become a destination in the city appealing to children and attracting visitors. A discrete and playful dog-watering trough around the perimeter of the granite fountain basin accommodates the thousands of dog visits expected in the park on a weekly basis.

Client
City of Toronto

Collaboration
Somerville Construction, Robinson Iron, DEW Inc (Dan Euser Waterarchitecture), Smith & Andersen, Odan/Detech Group Inc, EN Consulting Group, Blackwell

Area
6400 m2

Awards

2020   
Certificate of Merit – National Urban Design awards – Royal Architectural Institute of Canada – Civic Design Category

2019
Toronto Urban Design Awards – City of Toronto – Large spaces and neighborhood designs

Designer of the Year Awards for Best Public Space – Designlines Magazine

2018
Landscape Architecture Award of Merit and People’s choice – AZ Awards (Azure)

National Award – Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) – Small-scale public landscapes designed by Landscape Architect Category

Prix architecture de paysage et aménagement public – Grands Prix du Design

Year
2013-2017

Status
Built

Categories
Heritage
Park
Plaza / Garden
Streetscape
Photo, 2021 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2018 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Site Plan - Claude Cormier + Associés
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Claude Cormier + Associés
Photo, 2017 - Claude Cormier + Associés
Photo, 2017 - Claude Cormier + Associés
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2022 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2022 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2022 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2022 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2022 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2018 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Illustration, 2016 - Cyril Doisneau
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2019 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2019 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2021 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2019 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2021 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2019 - Industryous Photography
Photo, 2017 - Industryous Photography
Photo, In Memoriam: Pam McConnell, 1946-2017- Industryous Photography
Rendering - Claude Cormier + Associés
Rendering - Claude Cormier + Associés
Gooderham Building, Toronto - Pinktrotters
Conceptual Elevation of the Fountain - Claude Cormier + Associés
Photo, Fountain Model - Claude Cormier + Associés
Photo, Design Process - Claude Cormier + Associés
Dogs in Art - The Dog Congress, William H. Beard, c. 1876
Dogs in Art - Sympathy, Briton Rivière, 1877
Photo, Design Process - Claude Cormier + Associés
Photo, Design Process - Claude Cormier + Associés
Photo, Conceptual Image, Dogs and a Cat - Claude Cormier + Associés
Photo, Dog Sculpture - Robinson Iron
Photo, Dog Sculpture - Robinson Iron
3D Dog Rendering - Robinson Iron
Photo, Dog Assemblage - Robinson Iron
Sculpture d'un chien pour la fontaine - McCann Architectural Models
Sculpture d'un chien pour la fontaine - McCann Architectural Models
Sculpture d'un chien pour la fontaine - McCann Architectural Models
Photo, Water Jet Test - Soucy Aquatik
Photo, Water Jet Test - Claude Cormier et Associés
Photo, Fountain Under Construction, 2016 - Robinson Iron
Photo, Fountain Under Installation, 2016 - Claude Cormier + Associés
Photo, Modular Suspended Pavement System Layout to Provide 30m3 of Soil/Tree, 2016 - Claude Cormier + Associés