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Month: October 2017

Infinite Ecologies: Creating a biodiversity corridor in Saint-Laurent

Infinite Ecologies: Creating a biodiversity corridor in Saint-Laurent

In 2017, the Borough of Saint-Laurent undertook an integrative, innovative competition to create biodiversity corridors. Creating these corridors will connect the natural areas and other green spaces currently fragmented by development, and eventually give citizens access to historic, educational and …

By admin Posted on October 20, 2017 Posted in News

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brownandstorey

A Toronto-based office of architects, landscape architects, and urban designers. We help make modern cities livable.

Adaptive reuse in action. In a climate crisis, ev Adaptive reuse in action.

In a climate crisis, every material choice matters. The concrete we don’t quarry, the timber we don’t harvest, the earth we don’t move - these are acts of climate responsibility.

What if we told you that the concrete pathway below your feet used to be a swimming pool? Or that the pavilions overhead came from trees lost to disease?

At Kingston Park in Chatham, we designed with what already existed:

Demolished swimming pool concrete ➡️ fragmented and repurposed as ceremonial pathways (avoiding virgin aggregate extraction + landfill waste). 

Ash trees lost to Emerald Ash Borer ➡️ reclaimed timber for park pavilions (reducing demand for new lumber production). 

Beloved toboggan hill ➡️ integrated into circulation (eliminating unnecessary earthwork). 

Water infrastructure ➡️ completely recirculating UV filtration system (conserving water in a changing climate)

The most sustainable material is the one you already have. The most meaningful design honours what came before while reducing environmental impact.

In our current climate reality, adaptive reuse isn’t just thoughtful - it’s essential. Every project is a chance to work with what exists, minimize extraction, and prove that constraint breeds creativity.

This 7-hectare transformation shows that climate action and beautiful public space aren’t opposing goals - they’re the same work.

For more on Kingston Park Revitalization, visit the link in bio.

Water feature play area designed by: Dan Euser WaterArchitecture Inc.

#KingstonPark #LandscapeArchitecture #PublicSpace #adaptivereuse
What does a public washroom owe the city? We thin What does a public washroom owe the city?

We think: more than it’s ever been asked to give.

Our entry for the TO the Loo Toronto public washroom competition wasn’t selected, but the thinking behind it - about dignity, light, disidentification, and what public space can genuinely be - feels too important to leave in a drawer.

Our project was a refusal to treat the washroom as an isolated object of shame, and instead asked: what if it were a gateway? A courtyard-maker? A catalyst for connection between housing, parks, and the street?

What if going to the loo became a genuinely surprising, beautiful, light-filled experience?

The ideas live on. Swipe to see them.

To see the full vision, and the thinking behind it, visit the link in bio.

#Architecture #UrbanDesign #Toronto #publicspace #parkette
From the 2004 archives... Before intensification From the 2004 archives...

Before intensification became a buzzword, we were asking a simpler question on St. Clair Avenue West: what if parking could pay for a piazza?

The Piazzetta Santa Chiara was a prototype we developed for the City of Toronto - a half-below-grade parking structure whose rooftop became a public square. Shaded seating, event space, and a land-bridge connecting to the schoolyard next door. The ground plane, used twice.

It's an idea that still holds up. 

Learn more about the Piazzetta at the link in bio.

Project: Capital Design Strategy, St. Clair Avenue West
Client: City of Toronto, Dept. of Economic Development, Culture and Tourism
Collaborator: Richard Gilbert
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 #Streetscapes #FromTheArchives #UrbanDesign #Toronto #StClairWest #PublicSpace #LandscapeArchitecture #CorsoItalia #StreetscapeDesign #Architecture #parksandrec #publicrealm #parks #urbanism
Today we had the opportunity to attend the Blessin Today we had the opportunity to attend the Blessing of the Villa Charities Italian Canadian Immigrant Tribute Installation where His Eminence, Frank Cardinal Leo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto, came to the Columbus Centre to bless the Immigrant Tribute donor name plaques.

BSA is proud and honoured to have had the opportunity to work on this meaningful project in collaboration with @villa_charities , which pays tribute to the legacy of Italian Canadian immigrants.
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#VCITributeProject #PublicPlaza #Urbanism #TorontoArchitecture #ArchitectureDesign #UrbanDesign #CulturalDesign #Landscapes #HonourYourFamily #ShareYourImmigrationStory
The unveiling of the Italian Canadian Tribute Wall The unveiling of the Italian Canadian Tribute Wall with @villa_charities opened at the Columbus Centre in Toronto.

BSA is proud and honoured to have had the opportunity to work on this tribute that pays respect to Italian Canadian immigrants.

The tribute includes a large public plaza including new plantings and benches, and features 2000 plaques designed to flutter in the wind.
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#VCITributeProject #PublicPlaza #Urbanism #TorontoArchitecture #HonourYourFamily #ShareYourImmigrationStory
In March 2024, the OAA announced a design competit In March 2024, the OAA announced a design competition that would have architects design a landscape for the headquarters’ and the winner’s design would be implemented. We were tasked with creating a welcoming experience while being conscious of the Don River Watershed nearby.

Despite the fact that we did not win the competition, we are still pleased to share the work on our website https://shorturl.at/EOyyD
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