SeferianDesign

Author: Vince SDG

  • Circa 1877 / 181 King

    Circa 1877

    Waterloo, ON.

    HOUSING  //  CONDOMINIUM  //  COMMERCIAL

    SDG were retained as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide landscape architectural design services for the ground-breaking condominium development at 181 King Street South in Waterloo. Surrounded by boutique shops, vibrant restaurants and ION LRT stops, Circa 1877 is Waterloo’s preeminent residential tower. Fusing historical brick and beam elements from the former Brick Brewing Company building with modern architecture, the King Street façade will add dynamic street level retail and a second floor urban brew pub with a patio overlooking King Street.  The ground floor landscape includes cycling amenities, decorative paving, plantings, and public art. The outdoor terrace will include a pool, entertaining areas, cabanas, full yoga and fitness facilities, a chefs kitchen with group dinning, a lounge with wet bar and large private terraces for each and every suite. 

    Rendering credit: HIP Developments.

  • Humbertown Park












    Humbertown Park

    Toronto, ON.

    RECREATION  //  COMMUNITY DESIGN  // PARK

    SDG worked together with the staff of Kingsway College School and the City of Toronto Parks Department to convert this public park into a state-of-the-art Sports Field and Natural Play Structure. The school will utilize the park during school hours and the neighbourhood will take over after hours. The Toronto Argonauts are often seen practicing here during the off season. With climbing structures, ping-pong tables, seating areas, a trail system and a fully irrigated and drained sport field, Humbertown Park has become a ‘go to’ spot for families and sport leagues alike. SDG helped convert a derelict park into a hub of connectivity.

    Photo credit: Earthscape Play

  • Conservation Halton














    Conservation Halton

    Halton Region

    COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING  //  RECREATIONAL  //  ECOLOGICAL  //  TRAIL PLANNING  

    Conservation Halton extends across 1,000 square kilometres of land, encompassing 17 flowing creeks, approximately 26 kilometres of Lake Ontario shoreline with an extensive forest cover and 80 kilometres of Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment. With 450,000 residents that make up the Halton watershed, Conservation Halton’s mandate is to create opportunities for sustainable synergy between the natural world we live in and its occupants.  They work to protect, restore, and manage natural resources in the watershed to sustain a healthy ecosystem with clean streams, strong forests, and an abundance of green space and balanced growth that will result in solid livable communities.  As part of transitioning the Conservation Halton Administration Headquarters and parks operations towards sustainable landscape and environmental management, a Landscape Master Plan for their Administration Headquarters was initiated.  The Landscape Master Plan provides a framework for managing growth and change at the Conservation Halton Administration Headquarters over the coming decades.

    The Landscape Master Plan will be used as a future planning tool for Conservation Halton:

    • To collaborate with their partners and other climate change leaders to develop mitigation and adaptation strategies;

    • To position their parks as hubs for environmental conservation, stewardship and education programs.  The landscape will become not only a visually beautiful but will serve as a learning environment for students, stakeholders, staff, volunteers, and all other professionals Halton, it is vital that the atmosphere create educational and recreational experiences that will enhance health and well-being and instill awareness and appreciation of the watershed’s natural heritage; and

    • To adopt and demonstrate the environmental, social and economic benefits of green infrastructure and low impact development Improvements will be made to the vehicular and pedestrian circulation network, parking lots, hydrology and drainage systems, ecology and wildlife habitats, and green infrastructure amenities.  Site-specific enhancements include, but are not limited to, improved front entrance and staffing area landscapes, bioretention facilities, green roofs, planting and native species areas, signage, and electric vehicle charging stations. A Maintenance Plan is included within the Landscape Master Plan and is intended to guide Conservation Halton staff with making informed decisions about design and implementation.  The Maintenance Plan provides general information about key master plan design elements and are not intended to be prescriptive but rather should be treated as a reference to be consulted during the planning, development, and construction of each individual project.  The Landscape Master Plan includes a Phasing Plan that is intended for phased implementation of features and initiatives.  Some projects require further design and analysis, while others are smaller expansions or upgrades to existing infrastructure or amenities.

  • McMaster University

    McMaster University

    Hamilton, ON.

    ACADEMIC  //  RECREATIONAL DESIGN  //  CAMPUS PLANNING

    SDG was retained by McMaster University to prepare a Campus Housing Landscape Master Plan. Founded in 1887, McMaster University is a world-renowned research-intensive university based in Hamilton, Ontario with a student population of close to 25,000 students and more than 135,000 alumni. The scope of work includes three phases: Identification, Visioning and Development, for the exterior areas surrounding the 12 Residences of the campus. Four focus groups were held in late 2017 with various McMaster University Stakeholders. Completed by SDG in 2018, the Housing & Conference Services (HCS) Campus Housing Master Plan focused on improving connectivity around the campus housing spaces while creating inclusive learning spaces with a distinct cultural and ecological narrative. 

    The Wallingford Hall Landscape Revitalization project is the first phase in implementing the Master Plan. Wallingford Hall is one of McMaster University’s oldest, all-female campus housing buildings. HCS aspires to create an improved landscape space around Wallingford Hall, focusing on the north, east, and south facades, to greatly enhance the physical beauty of the campus and health and wellness impact to students who live in the Hall.  All landscape improvements will reflect McMaster’s core vision, commitment to sustainability, and barrier-free access for all. SDG’s scope of work includes the full range of landscape architectural services from schematic design to contract documents and administration. The landscape design includes paving, plantings, seating and gathering areas for students.

  • FWR Dickson Trail

    FWR Dickson Trail

    Ayr, ON.

    RECREATIONAL  //  ECOLOGICAL  //  TRAIL PLANNING  

    To many in Waterloo Region and Brant County, a trip to the FWR Dickson Wilderness Area means a chance to feed the chickadees along the boardwalk and explore the rolling native grasslands that fill the heart of this area just south of Cambridge. Many feet have walked and hiked these trails. Skis, snowshoes, and bicycles have traversed the terrain, but with any well-explored natural area, Dickson needed improvements. SDG was retained by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) to provide design development and contract administration for boardwalk improvements and trail improvements.  The GRCA has received a $93,500 grant from the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program to support the rehabilitation of the trails network. This funding formed part of the larger $187,000 campaign to help restore the area and re-establish a trail link between the FWR Dickson Wilderness Area and Bannister Lake natural area.The wooden boardwalk is an important stopping point within the area.

    School classes from nearby Wrigley’s Corners Outdoor Education Centre and families out for a walk, often spend time with the chickadees that call this area home. Accessing these chickadees has become increasingly more challenging in recent years though, as age and heavy traffic has worn out the existing 150 metre boardwalk.  The existing boardwalk was replaced to be comply with AODA requirements and installed on helical piers.  We believe nature should be accessible to everyone. The Dickson Wilderness Area rehabilitation project helped established an accessible section of the boardwalk trail to provide improved access to those with restricted mobility. FWR Dickson Wilderness Area and neighbouring Bannister Lake Conservation Area are both spectacular spaces with a diverse range of natural assets. An informal trail has linked these two areas for years. This project re-established the trail link and supported the development of the trail network between these two areas.  As part of Phase 1, the stone dust trail was improved from the parking lot to the boardwalk, which included armour stone retailing walls to achieve accessible slopes.

  • Hamilton Hebrew Academy

    Hamilton Hebrew Academy

    Hamilton, ON.

    INSTITUTIONAL  //  EDUCATION  //  COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING  

    The Hamilton Hebrew Academy retained SDG in 2016 to develop a long-term Master Plan for the school campus. The plan included sports fields, gathering areas, and separate play areas for toddlers and older kids. The vision was to create a naturalized environment that would benefit the community as well. The Master Plan will be presented to the City council as part of the project will be financed by the Municipality.

  • Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre

    Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre

    Ancaster, ON.

    INSTITUTIONAL  //  RECREATIONAL  

    The Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre is in the heart of the Ancaster Heritage Village. Formed in 1793, the Village of Ancaster is the third oldest community in Ontario. The Ancaster Memorial School, built in the mid-1940s, occupies a special place in the hearts of many residents. While the idea of turning the redundant old school site into an arts and cultural centre enjoyed universal support, there was a heated debate about whether to renovate or demolish and build anew. The challenges of renovation include a highly irregular site boundary with a 3-metre drop in grade from front to back of the existing building and the many interior levels of an old school. The architectural team’s solution managed to preserve most of the existing building, including the iconic stone portal, while adding a modern addition to the south and west side. Four levels of the facility can be reached by one elevator. The new and renovated facility will house a 470-seat Peller Hall, a 150-seat multi-purpose studio, visual arts classrooms, and music and dance studios. The vision for the Ancaster Village is to create a complete, liveable, walkable community sympathetic to its heritage. SDG provided full-service landscape architectural design services for the project.  The Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre is a state-of-the-art, vibrant arts centre and home to many of Ancaster’s successful and popular community arts groups as well as provide a venue for the community to enjoy many professional performers and artists.  Some of the tenants of the Ancaster Memorial Arts Centre include Theatre Ancaster, Sinfonia Ancaster, Dundas Valley School of Arts, AMAC studio arts, The Blues Studio sessions, Avalon Music Academy, Ancaster Farmers Market, Hamilton Film Festival, Hamilton Allstart Jazz, the Brott Music Festival.

    Photo credit: Invizij Architects

  • Landscape Ontario

    Landscape Ontario

    Milton, ON.

    INSTITUTIONAL  //  EDUCATION

    SDG was retained to create a campus master plan for the headquarters of Landscape Ontario and Horticultural Trades Association of Ontario located in Milton. The goal was to design and construct a world class garden/

    park destination. SDG provided design professionals and Landscape Ontario members with a state-of-the-art facility demonstrating sustainable development techniques. These proven ‘Green Solutions’ use waste and storm water on site, reducing the need for potentially costly engineered solutions.  The site will consist of educational facilities, show gardens and greenhouses, placemaking, outdoor classroom and education centres, a theatre as well as on site demonstrations using real time data monitored from the site and adjacent wetland and river and then fed into an interpretive display centre.

  • Cayuga Vista Trail

    Cayuga Grand Vista Trail

    Cayuga, ON.

    RECREATIONAL  //  ECOLOGICAL  //  TRAIL DEVELOPMENT 

    IDA Design Awards | Silver Winner | 2018

    Architecture MasterPrize Award Winner | 2019

    DNA Paris Design Awards Winner | 2020

    The Cayuga Grand Vista Trail is the first step toward a more connected Haldimand County. The 1.2-kilometer trail has reclaimed a disused CN Rail bridge across the Grand River as a community amenity that promotes health and wellbeing, connection to nature and understanding of local history. The trail is not only a connection for active transportation, however. It has also been designed as a place to stop and rest, experience the Grand River, and learn about Cayuga’s history. Two cantilevered viewing platforms have been constructed along the bridge’s length, oriented to the curve of the river and supplied with surface-mounted benches that invite lounging. These have been placed outside of the path of travel, which not only ensures safe circulation for cyclists and pedestrians passing by, but also creates a sense of discovery, as neither lookout is immediately visible from the ends of bridge.

  • Artform Condominum

    Artform Condominium

    Mississauga, ON.

    HOUSING  //  CONDOMINIUM  //  COMMERCIAL

    Emblem Developments retained SDG for landscape architectural design services for the Arte and Artform Condos in Mississauga. Arte blends modern design with creativity and artful elegance. Arte’s 18 storeys of striking brick, metal, stone and glass merge together to create a powerful architectural monument at Hurontario and Dundas. Artform is an emblem of style, design and poise. A graceful denial of conformity. It acknowledges that art leads any great revival, forcing us to look to the future for inspiration. Artform’s 17 storeys of bold, creative flair intersect with thoughtful, clean aesthetics to create the perfect marriage of art and design. Spearheading the revitalization of Mississauga, south of Square One, Artform is the mark of exceptional design. Both condos included ground-floor landscape and streetscape design with connections to the local transit systems.  Outdoor bars, lounges, and flexible workspaces on the terraces reimagined the way users live, work, and play. Arte Condo is current under construction.

    Photo credit: EMBLEM