In the design of the Red Island Plaza in Chinatown, Ottawa, I drew inspiration and ideas from traditional Chinese garden designs and the architecturally abstracted landscape paintings of Lawren Harris.
The layout creates a carefully composed imitation of a natural landscape, with areas and views that are discovered in traveling through. The curving paths of the red retaining walls were developed to produce an effect similar to that of Chinese Shanshui paintings, where sinuous strokes of ink and colour create landscape elements that emerge from the white space of the page. This effect would be especially striking during Ottawa’s winter.
With this design I aim to create the rare urban outdoor space that is equally appealing in all seasons. During Ottawa's long, cold winter it provides an ideal site for snowball fights and for children to toboggan.