Nathan Phillips Square preliminary design VUW

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Group 1

Final Design

Our intention is to emphasize and enliven the access ways and pathways to, from and within Nathan Phillips Square using lit pavers. For everyday use, tables, seating and marquees can be inserted into the pavers. Only the pavers which are away from main pedestrian routes within the square have the capability to cater for this street furniture, to encourage people to linger away from the pathways, keeping the pathways free for foot traffic. During crowded times, the furniture can be moved to a lower use area, to allow for a large mass of people with no obstructions.

Two sides of the pool have been sloped to encourage people to wade in the pool in summer to cool down. This alteration to the pool will not effect its use as a skating rink in winter. During colder months the marquees will provide shelter from the cold wind and in the summer will provide shade from the sun.

Here are some of the guiding principles we followed with our design:

Retain the open and accessible qualities of the space that make it well used and valued.

Improve the pedestrian accessibility of all areas of Nathan Phillips Square and its connections to the surrounding environment.

Improve the capability of accommodating outdoor performance events in keeping with the overall design.

Re-establish Nathan Phillips Square as a pedestrian-only and vehicle-free public space

Revitalise the entire area of the site, both within and outside the elevated walkway.

Plan view of Nathan Phillips Square - Red circles show main access points, Orange circles show points where perspective photos are taken from. The dotted areas show where our lit pavers will be, and where it is possible to utilise street furniture.	Plan view showing where the lit pavers will be, emphasising pathways.	Section showing the holes in the ground.	Section showing how park furniture (tables, seating, marquees etc)can be inserted into the holes in the pavers.
Section showing the two different sides of the pool.	Perspective showing a main path route through Nathan Phillips square.	Perspective showing path ways and the lights.	Perspective of a seating area in use.
Perspective of marquees covering a seating area used to block wind or sun.

For individual submissions of material investigations within Nathan Phillips Square click on each of these user links:

Previous project stages

Group Programming Proposal

Our intention is to emphasize and enliven the accessways and pathways to, from and within Nathan Phillips Square using multi funcitonal lighting. The lights change function depending on the demands put on the Square. During crowded times, the lights are embedded into the ground so as to create an obstruction free area. During weekeday lunch hours etc, many lights will be raised from the ground to provide a seating opportunity. During cold days and nights some lights are elevated to expose heating poles for people to linger around. The lights change function to meet the needs of the people. The lights contain sensors so when people are in a two metre radius the sensors pick them up and provide heat if the internsl thermostate is below 15 degrees, this way the heaters are only in use when required.

The four pictures below show how heating and air-conditioning will be provided at different times of year in areas where people are encouraged to linger, rather than in the pathways.

The sides of the pond will also be sloped to encourage people to enter the pool during the hot summer months.

Reprogrammed Nathan Phillips Square during the day in the cooler months	Reprogrammed Nathan Phillips Square at night in the cooler nights	Reprogrammed Nathan Phillips Square at night in the warmer months	Reprogrammed Nathan Phillips Square at night in the warmer months - small LED lights embedded into the ground suggest pathways and bring the space to life.
The embedded lights change in function to meet the needs of the people using the space	The pond could be altered to provide extra uses.

Preliminary Design

Section through square to show how seats move up and down	Close up section	Section through showing the sloping sides of pool.	Context plan of Nathan Phillips Square within Toronto - showing surrounding main attractions, and the main roads in the area.
Plan view of Nathan Phillips Square - Red circles show main access points, Orange circles show points where perspective photos are taken from	Plan view showing lights and pathways.	Perspective showing the seats up and people using them.	Perspective showing the path ways and the lights.

We decided on changes for the heating and cooling functions. For cooling - the pond has been altered to make it accessible and inviting, so during hot days, concerts etc people can wade in the water, or dip their feet in to cool down. For heating - the lights in the elevated seating block will be designed to expel warmth for the people using the seating - encouraging people to linger in the non-pathway areas during cold times of year.We decided that heating poles were not energy efficient when there were already a lot of lights being utilised which already could create heat. The heat poles were also another obstacle and could discourage people from lingering in the areas as they could block views for people using the seating - hence the heat pole idea was scrapped and redesigned.

View from the South East corner

View from the North East corner

View from the South West corner

View from the North West corner

These pictures show how the sun would fall during mid day in July when its summer in Toronto.

Group 2

Initial Analysis and Design

How do you program a city square? How do you create an environment that caters for an entire city, a city with as much diversity and as many cultures as Toronto?

Our answer is not to simply have one program. We want to enhance the skating in winter. We want a beach area in the summer. We want interactive ground tiles which change colour as people walk over them. That’s just the beginning. What we propose is a City Square which evolves as Toronto evolves, a park that is alive. Because if we limit Nathan Phillips Square in terms of programs, how will it then cater for the city to which it belongs?

Our concept is to have a movable ground structure. A grid of square tiles which can be moved up or down, tiles which can be manipulated into setups according to the program. These tiles can be arranged to create an outdoor theatre for a classical music concert one day and then the next day be levelled out to create a basketball court with temporary hoops. So in a period of 48 hours the square can cater for, and be enjoyed by, two vastly different groups of people.

What we are essentially proposing is a starting point. We do want specific programs such as the skating network, the beach area and tiles which form patterns as people walk over them. But more than this we want the people of Toronto to have a park which suits them, a park which can be changed daily if required, going from peaceful and relaxing one day to dynamic and exciting the next day…

or week…

or year…

Final Individual Materials Programs

User:James

User:Sarah

three sections through the basketball court	main axis points through Nathan Phillips Square + how it connects to the basketball court	the two different types of seating - permanent + temporary	various programs
experimental model working with rubber	experimental model working with concrete

User:Simon

User:Nathan

Group 3

User:Naomi

• Development: This image shows the development of my 1:2 scale model of the concrete seating. From the initial stages of the boxing, to the mid-stages with the polystyrene top, and finally the redeveloped final design.

A precedent image; Exchange Square by Martha Schwartz. [www.donaldsharp.com/exchange%20square.htm]

• Precedent Image of Martha Schwartz work: A precedent for the development of Nathan Phillips square was the designer Martha Schwartz. I enjoyed looking at her work and especially her personal philosophy behind what she does. This image shows Exchange Square where Schwartz tried to focus on “the landscape we make and occupy.” [www.donaldsharp.com/exchange%20square.htm]

• Concrete: During our presentations of our group designs for Nathan Phillips square, the material surface of concrete and its vast use throughout the square was looked into by a number of people. I choose to bring this aspect out in my design with my focus being on the seats on rails. I looked towards Martha Schwartz as a precedent designer because she has completed large scale square designs successfully.

• Seating: I developed the idea of the moving blocks on rails. This seating is mounted on a type of rail system that allows people to push and pull the seats around. This gives them the option to form new clusters therefore constantly bringing change to the space. The seats carry out functions such as being lunchtime or leisure seating, permeable boundaries, barriers for events, linking area’s together and even allowing people to be able to stand on them for a better view at concerts. These seats are restricted from crossing main pathways and access areas.

• Material: Concrete is a very durable material with a long life span and is relatively cheap to manufacture.

• Weight: Having a solid concrete block as a seat was not an option though as it would mean the blocks would be too heavy to move around. I used a polystyrene inner for the seats to reduce the overall weight.

• Durability: I designed a durable thicker concrete top for the seat that could also be doubled to be stood upon with a small wood inlay. This is asethically pleasing and provides a link between the seating to the other features of the site

• Form: I used a square shape for the seating so they would be in contrast to the other areas of the square that followed the motif of a circle. Because the seating gives a sense of direction and provides orientation to the square I felt that it was appropriate to define this.

• Design By creating a design that works on a rail system I have re-defined the way people can use, interact and negotiate their way through Nathan Phillips square. I have also made the design of the concrete seating blocks functional so that they can be used without the rail system as well, as permanant structure in some areas. The form of the rail system or layout of the concrete seats depends on the events carried out in that area, as this will influence how people meet and greet, mingle, socialise and hang out.

User:Carl

Tiles

After initial presentations is was noted that Toronto was adequately catered for when it came to providing green park spaces within the city and that Nathan Phillips Square functioned adequately in it’s present form. The current extensive use of hard surfaces creates space and form that caters to the demographic of its users and this needed to be maintained. By creating a Maple Leaf motif to be used in the tiles of the main plaza area I will be able to soften the hard linear terrain and introduce a natural element into the space. These tiles can also be used to define possible pathways through the space and add an element of interest.

Wallace/Pierce Composite

Reflecting Pool Roof

The refined design for the Reflecting Pool Roof will offer shelter from wind, rain and sun for spectators and users of the pool. The new design takes its precedent from the spaces created under the raised walkway nearby and the numerous levels within the space. The different levels of the roof will help disperse wind moving through the current exposed site and provide protection from sun and rain.

Its design provides a light airy space with good natural light levels. Collection of rain water from the roof surfaces could be used to maintain pool water levels while the slanted surfaces will allow easy removal of snow during winter months.

User:David

GLASSED STRIP LIGHTING – this strip lighting devised for Nathan Phillips Square will provide a colourful linear definition to our network of paths while adding emotion and ‘temperature’ to the space overall. The element consists of five glass panels laminated between exposed aggregate concrete, punctuated by blocks of hardwood endemic to North America. By laminating glass, my selected material, I have created a dynamic filter for various colours of beamed light; with cooler blues in winter and warmer hues in summer being one way the square’s management team may wish to fashion added atmosphere to an already vibrant space. Changing the light colours is simply a matter of rolling out various coloured transparencies between the glass panels and a fixed tube light.

I have taken into account various precedents of strip lighting, including that used in ‘An Eventful Path’ by Australian design firm Aspect (aspect.net.au) to mark significant cultural and sporting events at Sydney’s Olympic Park. I also considered the way glass and light combined to add definition to projects at Holmbladsgade, Copenhagen (Topos magazine, March 2004) and Brogards Plads, Albertslund, Denmark (Topos, September 2002). All three incorporate glass-filtered light to attract and direct the pedestrian, as does my strip lighting.

glass-filtered strip lighting to guide the pedestrian through Nathan Phillips Square

preliminary design work

a bright white element marks the intersection of two lighting strips. White has been selected to harmonize with the New City Hall dome

this section cut shows where coloured transparent strips are to be installed between the glass and tube lighting

User:Averill

Yellow - The area which the wooden blocks can be moved. This area is controlled by electromagnets in the seats and cannot be moved outside of the boundary. Red - The track that seating on rails can be moved along.	The blocks are able to be shifted to the perimeter and locked then stood upon for a better view of activities in the square. They can also be used as a permeable boundary to divde the space.	The wooden blocks are made form Jara, a long lasting, untreated wood. The redness of it, gently brightens up the plain of concret.	There are three joining rod holding the plains of wood together. They are arranged in a triangle for maximum strength.
On the top-side of the seats, the grain of the wood has been arranged to form a decorative detail.	At night the wooden blocks are alluinated and are not an obstacle for pedestrians. They can be arranged to line pathways.	Around the perimetre of the pool/ice rink a single rail is sunk in to the concret. In Winter the tracks will freeze and the seats cannot be moved so will be arranged before hand.	The blocks are made of resin around the ice rink and looks similar to ice. This links the social space and the activity space via form and texture.
A light is inside the blocks and are lit at night making the reference to ice stronger and acts as a visual boundary to the pool.	This perspective shows the how the two types of seating are arranged in relation to eachother.	People can push the blocks around and lock them so they are safe to stand on. This space is highly used by business people in their lunch break.	At night both sets of blocks make themselves visible and are not tripped over by pedestrians, while also looking elegant.

Group

An initial idea on how we could re-develop the path system and improve pedestrian accessibility. An initial sketch to play with the possinle workings of the site.	Looking at the main access points pedestrians have to the area and how these connect in with the site.	Area's of influence in Nathan Philips Square. This includes how the path system links in, an aerial view of the city, and a close-up of the main access routes used to the site.	The round dome top of the New City Hall has been used a motif for this redeveloped site. Its influence can be seen in the new Peace Park, Pool Roof and Cafe.
The addition of a cafe will add movement and vibrancy to a currently under utilised area. The addition of a Pool roof will extend the use of the space.	Relocating the Peace Park and incorporating it into the existing green spaces will allow for uninterrupted movement through the plaza creating options for further community activities such as concerts and gatherings.	Long section showing the pool's roof angle and circular void in relation to Revell's rounded New City Hall.	A newly created peace park helps extend the circular motif of New City Hall on to the square itself.
This shows how the area can be utilised as a cafe space and link in with the outdoor soroundings in summer.	This shows how the cafes can still be operational even in the winter months.		Seating in the form of moving blocks on a rail system, can be positioned by the individuals to form various seating patterns. This ever-changing feature activates the space.
The blocks are able to be shifted to the perimeter and locked then stood upon for a better view of activities in the square. They can also be used as a permeable boundary to divde the space.	At night the blocks can be alluminated adding further interest, visibilty and security to the square.	Concerts in the square - one of many programmes made available by our open space design

Our aim:

When Viljo Revell originally designed Nathan Phillips Square, café’s and restaurants were not central elements of socialising, leisure, business and pleasure as they have become today. Our preliminary design aims to facilitate these aspects of cafe culture - plus casual outdoor eating. The introduction of a café on the plaza, the redevelopment of the path system, relocation of the peace park and developing a covered roof over the ice-skating rink will help users meet and mingle, sit or skate, and - most significantly - communicate at a social or business level. We aim to focus on the needs of people today, in the year 2006 and develop a design that functions well to accomodate these needs.

Development of cafe scene and moveable seating clusters:

As a way of linking the cafe scene with the rest of the park and activating the space, we propose extending the seating in the form of blocks on rails that could be pushed along to form clusters. The blocks will be able to be locked into place so that when events occur they can double as seating, barriers or can be stood on during concerts for a better view. The rail system will be limited from crossing the paths of the heavily used pathways and will be derived from the existing buildings and new areas of interaction e.g. social areas and activity areas. The materiality of the blocks could allow them to be illuminated. We insured that the main corridoor of heavy use was through the middle of the space. This means that people will constantly be in the square and will subconsciously be a spectacle for the cafe users and draw others in (i.e. people attract people.).

Peace Park relocation:

Relocating the Peace Park into the other green areas allows easy flow of the seating elements on the plaza and creates options of using the larger uninterrupted plaza space for other community activities.

Instillation of a floating roof over the Ice-skating rink:

The installation of a floating roof over the ice skating rink/reflecting Pool will offer protection from the elements all year round and encourage visitation. Spectators wishing to view activities will now have the benefit of shelter. The glass panel motif in the roof will allow natural light onto the space during the day and create options for innovative lighting during the evening.

Lighting, Pathways and Safety:

The illumination of the seating elements, improved pool lighting and the introduction of a cafe to under the City Hall over-hang will improve safety in the area by providing increased lighting and people into currently under utilised spaces.

To soften the lines of the concrete we will introduce a simple leaf mosaic tile into the plaza. This will help indicate possible paths through the site, denote points of interest and add a natural element.

The additions will also fill one of the necessary requirements in that they will endeavour to enliven and integrate the city hall, podium roof, the elevated walkways and the path system. Advances in engineering means that establishing an infrastructure to support these redevelopments can be easily achieved.

Group 4

In the new stage,we are going to increase the interaction between people and space.our group try to add some modern technological element in this site, music around us and visual changing on the surface of the pool/rink. It makes fun for people.We also wonder some environmental improvment among the building group. For example, the roof garden which can be used by officer after work break or during events time,so it gives more civic space for people. There are two parts that we are going to redesign on the Nathan Phillips Square:

VIRESCENCE --- In order to get more widen green area , provide outdoor living space, attract people resting, view and admire the square lanscape from upper place. We designed a roof garden on the top of the lowest roof surface. It is including plant collocate, urban furniture(sitting, private space etc.),idiographic solution for irrigate,drain,soil and so on.

DIGITAL USING --- There is a computer programming language called “PROCESSING” now commonly used in interior and media field. It’s for people to react with programmed images, animation, and sound. The program I designed is camera projections formed Canada’s flag and showing animation and sound with people’s reactions by using “processing”.

Plan view of our design.	Perspective view of our design.	The drawing is showing how people fit into the site and how the skylight being used during daytime.	The "PROCESSING" ice skating field.
The day and night view of the site.	Different shadow in winter and summer.	Standing on the edge of the cafe,also showing the skylight and how the space being used.	Waling throgh the glass walls.
view from the glass house.	Standing on the roof and looking down the whole square.	Digital model.	Digital model plan view.

User:YeYe

I looked at Nathan Philips Square and our group design concepts and decided to do the skylights up on the roof. I placed the skylights outside the city hall. They make a double usage for the site. Whatever programme goes under the roof (i.e. cafe), the skylights provide sunshine and light down through during daytime; when the night comes, those lights under plaza also provide light through to the roof, and that's a source saving. Even the roof is not being used as a garden, the skylights are still useful as landscape units. Glass is the perfect marterial for making skylight and I showed the connection between the concrete, aluminum and safty glass when making the phycical model.

Plan and section drawings of the skylight itself and where they are going to be placed.	How the skylights fit into the space.	The view from the plaza (under the roof level).	The scale of the skylights in reality.
The phycical model scale of 1 : 5.	The phycical model scale of 1 : 5.	The phycical model detail from the bottom view.

User: vivian shao

User:JINGJING MA

User:Echo Liu

The problem existed in our group design is the glass walls are not fit for the roof garden, so I deleted it. However, in order to protect people from wind or rain into a safe space, I designed shelters beyond the two edges of the roof garden. And the shelters not only supply a rest area but also make the roof garden to be a close space. I followed the same idea as the 'Bridge' sculpture on the pool/rink. I designed the shape to be a curve, and the shelter on the roof garden will be consistent with the bridge on the square. Every shelter is about 6 meter long, and about 10 people can sit under the shelter. The materials I used almostly is stainless steel, that is strong enough, and its bending moment can make the frame to be a tension curve. Also, it has high compression and wind load stress. The material made for the shelter is a water proof material, it resist not only wind and rain, but also ultraviolet radiation. I made a potted holder on the handrail, the plants, such as liane bring virescence into the shelter area.

I deleted the glass wall in the group design, and design shelters beyond two edges of the roof garden.	Perspective drawings for my shelter.	Section drawings to show the shape and "I BEAM" structure.	Different perspective views for my physical model.
Joints in my physical model.	Potted holder is designed on the handrail. Plants also can be in the shelter area.	Physical model added in the original roof. People collage to show the scale.	Physical model added in the original roof. People collage to show the scale.
How people use the shelter in the roof garden? Supplying a safe space to have a rest.	Backview of the shelter in the roof garden.	Overview the shelter groups on either edge.	Connection of the shelters and planting (grass and bush) area.

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Group 5

A short video is available to view on YouTube. The quality is unfortunately rather poor, but it provides insight into design inspiration and a quick tour of a 3D model...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H8ghVycLyA

Our intent is to take our individual programmes and combine them in a way that will revitalize the original designs of Viljo Revell. The programmes target different aspects of how Nathan Phillips Square is used by the people of Toronto. On a structural level a stage will allow more events without the need for major monetary backing. Seasonal art exhibitions and excercise orientated "wheels days" provide activities for the public to come and experience. Because of these differences, they can be worked together easily to create a coherent whole.

Presently, the site is divided into two aesthetically different parts; the modern, curvy town hall, and the older, more linear remainder of Nathan Phillips Square. Adding a degree of curvature to the Square will unify the entire site, as well as accomodating the proposed programmes, particularly the stage and excercise elements.

These changes will enhance Nathan Phillips Square visually, as well as reinforcing the strong community sentiment valued by many of Torontos citizens.

User:Ny

"Only in freedom can the human spirit soar"...Toronto is a city of many museums, galleries and art. These dance images reflect on the city's culture, events and attitude towards art.	The feature seating/slab will accommodate many events that is Beneficial to the public. Concrete texture will apply on only the high-lighted slabs.	The slab seats are pre-cast concrete with a smooth finish for the top surface and four texture surfaces. It will be a mixture of finely crushed stones, (limestone) clay, sand etc...	The position of the concrete squares allow people to interact within the space. It provides seatings all year round and allow the public to enjoy sculptures that are put out for display.
The size of the squares are 1500mm x 1500mm x 500mm. The abstract pattern is signifigant to art and representation of the liveliness of Toronto.

User:Alfred

The new design element the waterfeature allows a flow between the new upper area and the existing lower area. This water feature connects to the existing reflection pool. This water feature is cirular which is based on the existing curves already in the site. Following images show how the water flows down onto the reflection pool, frezzing in winter and acting as a waterfall in the other seasons. The waterfeature is like a sift, sifting the water into different directions.

Drawing showing detail, section and perspective	Detail of icicle underneath waterfeature	Detail of waterfall	Perspective of the space
Light beaming through the holes	Frozen surface in winter

User:Ben O'B

Toronto is a name given by the Iroquios, meaning "place where trees stand in the water". This served as the inspiration behind my individual design, as well as allowing a corner of the reflection pool to be enlivened and provide colour. The lamps that protrude from the water represent the trees. Each lamp reflects light in a direction completely unique to itself, rather like trees themselves (The uniqueness, not the ability to reflect light, that is). The lamps tail off into the square, bringing people too and from the place where these "trees" stand in the water.

Larger Section detailing basic layout of components and immediate Landscape.	Close up Section, represented also by Model. Shows the connection between component and the land, and how water is intergrated.	This plan shows the basic layout of the lamps, and also details their various heights.	Simple Sketch showing the lamps varying heights and positions of lights.
Construction process, wax drying in mould. Made quite a mess.	Coming out of its box, concrete crumbled a bit but held together reasonably well.	This picture details the connection between the concrete and mounted steel, and how water forms around it.	Again connection detail, hard to see where steel is. Refer to section above for more detail.

User:Liam

The amphitheater has planting of grass and trees in certain concrete squares. For these plants to survive the concrete square needed to be treated as a pot with hollowing it out right through to the ground allowing soil to pass through the base coarse. This will alow the passing of water through and taproot in trees. The squares with trees would also need to be lined with a galvanized steel box around 4mm to stop the trees roots as they mature from breaking up the concrete.

Section of the layers required to make the amphitheater

Plan section showing positions of details in model

Image of model showing the different layers

Sketches showing how the plants will be able to grow in the concrete squares