Reconnecting with the water

The Queen’s Marque Public Realm landscape is designed to complement the $200 million+ mixed-use development and add 100,000 square feet of valuable public open space to the Halifax Waterfront Boardwalk. The multi-million dollar installation is one of the most ambitious and largest-scale developments that the waterfront and city has ever seen — uniting buildings, wharves, streets, and a series of unique and interconnected plazas.

While contemporary in its form and materiality, the design celebrates the history of the site and the Nova Scotia coastal landscape. It provides numerous opportunities for large events, small gatherings, or passive enjoyment of the waterfront. Most significantly, it provides new ways for people to get closer to the water.

The design is robust to defend against major storm events and flooding, yet complimentary to the adjacent Provincially registered heritage buildings located at historic elevations.

This project is the most technically challenging landscape installation ever undertaken in Halifax. The central public plaza is built entirely on the roof of an underground parking garage that sits below sea level and creates a seamless transitions to wharves, and other spaces constructed on grade. One major feature is the raised bosque, which is cleverly integrated to facilitate the growth of large trees while providing a variety of opportunities to sit and enjoy the harbour vistas and the serene atmosphere that it creates beneath.

Another major technical feat is Queen’s Landing - the granite steps into the harbour which was designed to be mostly fabricated off-site to facilitate installation in tidal waters. It has become one of Halifax’s most visited and publicized attractions, as well as a game changer for how people interact with the harbour.

STATUS

2021

Our Role

Landscape Architecture

CLIENT

Armour Group Ltd

LOCATION

Halifax, Nova Scotia

AWARDS

Canadian Association of Landscape Architects (CSLA) - Award of Excellence — Small-Scale Public Landscapes

Atlantic Provinces Association of Landscape Architects (APALA) — Award of Excellence—Large Scale Landscape Architecture

Atlantic Provinces Association of Landscape Architects (APALA) — Award of Special Recognition

Halifax Urban Design Awards — Award of Merit for Landscape Architecture