Scholars' Green Park Wins Award of Excellence

gh3 and Terraplan were recently awarded a Mississauga Urban Design Award of Excellence for Scholars' Green Park at the new Sheridan College.
The Jury commented: “The park unites the first college building, the local community and neighboring civic functions within a generous centralized space integrating axial geometries, playful textures, lush greenery, outdoor works of art and a variety of sustainable landscape materials, interesting site finishes and furnishings”. The Jury noted that Scholars’ Green offers refuge and quiet places for contemplation, social recreation, leisure, relaxation and reflection – highly complementary to the academic environment that will eventually envelop and define the edges of the park.

Images courtesy of gh3

Located at the centre of Sheridan College’s new campus, the Scholars’ Green is a symbiosis of public park and academic common that provides rich outdoor amenity for students, faculty and the surrounding community. Ordered by a crystalline primary circulation lined with allées of columnar beech, the park’s facets contain variously: micro-forests; teaching amphitheaters; grass quadrangles; outdoor cafés; and public squares. Materials like permeable recycled glass paving and glow–in–the–dark concrete patterns compliment extensive plantings and pedestrian/cyclist infrastructure to help make the park an inspiring combination of sustainable and innovative design. The park is anchored at its core by a geometric light-filled pavilion in mirror stainless steel that will serve as a new hub for both academic and neighbourhood events.