In The News

The Toronto Wavedecks, the wooden wave-like pedestrian walkways along Toronto's central waterfront, are continually getting international praise from architecture enthusiasts. Four years after the completion of the first wavedeck, the structures--designed by architecture firms West 8 and DTAH--are frequently pointed to as an example of successful waterfront and public space design. In the last month, the Wavedecks have been praised in, among other publications, Arch Daily, The Wall Street Journal, and Japan's Kudo design blog.

From Arch Daily:

"In response to an innovative design competition launched by Waterfront Toronto, West 8 submitted a comprehensive vision for the Central Waterfront that produced a powerful design language with the strength and simplicity to overcome the existing visual noise and create a sense of interconnectedness and identity. Connectivity between the vitality of the city and the lake and a continuous, publicly accessible waterfront are the plan's priorities."

"Spadina, Simcoe and Rees wavedecks are the first in a series of timber structures that explore variations of a simple articulation in the change in level between Queens Quay Boulevard and Lake Ontario along the Toronto Central Waterfront. Responding to the current pinch-points where the streetscape meets the water's edge, a new public space gateway is created where the city kisses the lake, inspired by the sinuous contours of the shoreline of the Canadian lakefront."

"The geometry of the wavedeck is carefully conceived using playful curves that are constantly changing to create ledges for seating and new routes to access the water's edge. It allows for different vantage points and ultimately different experiences with both the lake and the city. In order to establish a coherent aesthetic for the public realm along the waterfront, the simple undulating timber wave gesture became a prototype that will be repeated at seven heads of slips with subtle variation. Using a consistent palette of materials and details, the identity of each wave structure will be derived from the unique curvatures of the structure as well as the activities suggested through its form."

read full story here, here and here
original sources Arch Daily, Wall Street Journal, and Kudo