St. Patrick’s Island Park in Calgary, designed by Civitas Inc. with W Architecture and Landscape Architecture, has been named 2016 Great Public Space by the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) in its Great Places in Canada contest. “Nature lovers, families and urban explorers alike can revel in the natural beauty that has been restored through mindful renewal and a biophilia master plan – a landscape design approach that nurtures the bond between people and nature,” stated the CIP jury.
The result of a four-year design collaboration by Civitas and W on behalf of the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC), the 31-acre St. Patrick’s Island Park in the Bow River has transformed once derelict public space into a vital outdoor experience. A short video titled “Bike Roll” provides an off-the-cuff bicycle tour of the island park, which opened in fall of 2015, by Civitas Founding Principal Mark Johnson.
In addition to the CIP award, the Civitas/W revitalization of the historic park was lauded by Fast Company magazine’s 2016 Innovation by Design Awards, received the 2016 Excellence on the Waterfront award from the nonprofit Waterfront Center and was named one of Canada’s four best urban parks by WestJet magazine. The project was honored with awards in previous years from ASLA Colorado, the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA) and AIA NY.
Congratulations to Mark Johnson (Principal, Civitas) and the team at Civitas and W Architecture and Landscape Architecture