Design Intent
In 1914, the Komagata Maru, a steamship carrying 376 immigrants from the Punjabi region of India, was turned away at the Port of Vancouver due to Canada’s discriminatory immigration laws. When the steamship returned to India, the British Army imprisoned and murdered many of the passengers. In commemoration of this incident, the City of Brampton encouraged the theme of the new Springdale library and the Komagata Maru Park to reflect multiculturalism and immigration to Canada.
NAK Design Strategies completed the landscape design for the Komagata Maru Park. The park is an innovative approach to urban design in a suburban area of Brampton that achieves a communal sense of place for both pedestrians and passing motorists, responding in a playful and whimsical manner to its surrounding context. The park is a conceptual and functional extension of the community spaces in the building, with a playground, splash pad, pathways, reflecting pool, and a picnic pavilion, encouraging visitors to embrace the outdoor space.
The letters of the word “IMAGINE” are sprinkled playfully throughout the playground features, enticing curiosity amongst the viewers. The reflecting pool, next to the children’s collection, is one of the treasures of the project that accentuates and responds to the linear and curvilinear form, fusing landscape and architecture. Exterior seating pockets weave into the building form, creating reading nooks and contemplative spaces. These pockets can be viewed from the building’s interior, blurring the line between interior and exterior spaces. The integration and intentional blurring of landscape architecture and architecture visibly also demonstrates the value of urban design and its potential to improve suburban environments in an harmonious manner. The project’s concept establishes a new type of suburban landscape through the organically shaped perimeter of the building. The idea of designing an organic presence with sustainable public resources for the community is beautifully established from the creation of an undulating topography of fluid ceilings and a mountainous green roof along with the sectional variation of the ground plane. The park is a popular attraction for residents and the greater community.
As one of Canada’s fastest growing suburbs, Brampton is an ideal area for development. The Springdale Library & The Komagata Maru Park was intended to develop future community space through the implementation of public spaces and amenities that would add to the suburb’s functionality, urban spirit, and economic vitality. The recommendations aimed to enhance the economic value of the downtown by:
- Establishing engaging landscape park conditions that attract suburban communities;
- Introducing ecological opportunities for educational and environmental studies in the suburbs through designing with native species and habitat in mind
Since improving the park with a playground, splash pad, pathways, reflecting pool, and a picnic pavilion, the community has been utilizing the park amenities and visiting the library more frequently. The enhancements have provided a supportive communal setting. The active and vibrant suburban destination embraces the multiculturalism of Brampton and catalyzes future development.
Awards
2019 Brampton Urban Design Awards – Award of Excellence for New Development
OLA Library Building Award
2015 Canadian Architect Award for Design Excellence
