The Toronto Waterfront Wavedecks are a series of wooden structures constructed on the waterfront of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, as part of the revitalization of the central waterfront.

Waterfront Toronto Waterfront Toronto (incorporated as the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation) is an organization that oversees revitalization projects along the Toronto waterfront. Established in 2001 as a public–public partnership between the Cit ...

committed to constructing a series of unique wooden wavedecks along the water's edge for the 3.5 km area running from Bathurst Street to Parliament Street.Waterfront Toronto
/ref> All the WaveDecks are accessible from the southside of Queens Quay. The wavedecks are new public spaces that vary in shape, articulation and design to reflect the movement of

Lake Ontario Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border ...

. Despite each deck having multiple levels separated by steps, they are all wheelchair accessible. The undulations of each level provide for a smooth, stepless path from one end of the deck to the other (going widthwise). These paths are visually marked by yellow metal discs embedded into the decks themselves.

History

In June 2006,

West 8 West 8 is an urban planning and landscape architecture firm founded by Adriaan Geuze and Paul van Beek in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 1987. It is known for its contemporary designs and innovative solutions to urban planning problems using lighting, ...

and duToit Allsopp Hillier won the Toronto Central Waterfront Innovative Design Competition for their entry that included the construction of a series wavedecks along Toronto's waterfront. Each wavedeck is unique and designed to resemble to the contours of

's shoreline and reclaim parts of the shoreline along water's edge south of Queens Quay.West 8
/ref> A total of three WaveDecks were constructed with one more being planned, each acting as unique gateways to the waterfront. Once the transformation is complete, WaveDecks will be at the foots of Spadina Avenue, and Rees, Simcoe, and Parliament streets. The Spadina WaveDeck opened in late-summer of 2008, followed by the opening of the Simcoe WaveDeck in June 2009 and the Rees WaveDeck in July, 2009.

Spadina WaveDeck

The first WaveDeck was constructed at the Spadina Head of Slip, consisting of a 620 metre squared undulating wood pedestrian deck over water, adjacent to the foot of Spadina Avenue south of Queens Quay Boulevard. Construction started in November 2007 by Somerville contractors and lasted 10 months. The Spadina WaveDeck links two waterfront parks: Music Garden and

HTO Park HTO Park (stylized as HTO) is an urban beach in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that opened in 2007. It is located west of Harbourfront Centre, on Lake Ontario. History The park is built on quays once used by ships berthing in Toronto's Inner Harbour ...

. The WaveDeck cost $4.1 million to build and is made of 3,564 wooden planks. It is the WaveDeck that is the furthest to the west. The Spadina WaveDeck won the 2009 Toronto Urban Design Award of Excellence in the Small Open Space category. The WaveDeck is located at the coordinates .

Rees WaveDeck

The Rees WaveDeck was opened in July, 2009. The levels of the WaveDeck get lower and have a larger decline as they get closer to the lakeshore. This can cause the levels closer to the lakeshore the flood during times the water levels rises such as during heavy rainfall. The Rees WaveDeck is just east of

and connects it with the more central portions of the Harbourfront. The WaveDeck is located at the coordinates .

Simcoe WaveDeck

The Simcoe WaveDeck opened in June 2009. The artistic design has a dramatic 2.6 metre high curve as well as metal railings to prevent injuries. It is located just west of Simcoe Street at the water's edge and has quickly become a major attraction along the waterfront.Press Release
/ref> It connects the

Harbourfront Centre Harbourfront Centre is a key cultural organization on the waterfront of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at 235 Queens Quay West. Established as a crown corporation in 1972 by the Government of Canada to create a waterfront park, it became ...

the westernly portions of the Harbourfront. is currently the WaveDeck that is the furthest to the east. The WaveDeck is located at the coordinates .

Parliament WaveDeck

The Parliament WaveDeck is a proposed fourth WaveDeck that will be located at the intersection of Parliament Street and Queen's Quay. It is expected to be built once the

East Bayfront East Bayfront, or the East Bayfront Precinct, is an emerging neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is currently undergoing a transformation from industrial use to mixed-use as part of Waterfront Toronto's plans to create a residential and ...

development progresses. Once completed, it will be the WaveDeck that is the furthest to the east.

References

External links

Waterfront Toronto – wavedecks
{{Parks and squares in Toronto Tourist attractions in Toronto Harbourfront, Toronto Bridges in Toronto Waterfront Toronto