Category: News

We’re thrilled to share the progress of the Hamilton Golf and Country Club’s (HGCC) Patio Enhancement project. Located in Ancaster, the HGCC has long been considered one of Canada’s top golf courses.

The project includes the redevelopment of the upper terrace, complete with new natural stone paving, reclad kneewalls, and an outdoor serving area. A portion of the upper terrace will be covered with a new canopy. The new lower patio level extends the Club’s ability to provide dining and seating areas for members and incorporates new kneewalls clad in brick and natural stone to match the exterior of the clubhouse.

It’s going to be a beautiful transformation and we can’t wait to see the final result!

Project Team:

• Client: Hamilton Golf & Country Club
• Architect: Toms+McNally, Graham McNally
• Landscape Architect: SDG, Mike Flint
• Structural Eng: Blackwell
• Electrical Eng: CK Engineering
• GC/CM: Ira McDonald
• Landscape Sub-Contractor: Oakridge Landscape Contractors
• Masonry Sub-Contractor: True Canadian Masonry
• Stone Supplier: Select Stone

At SDG, we believe community engagement is key to creating sustainable and vibrant communities. SDG, in collaboration with the City of Hamilton are gathering feedback on the design concepts for the viewing platform on the south side of Albion Falls. Our objective was to create a safe platform that enhances the view of the waterfall while preserving the site’s natural and cultural heritage. Incorporating the feedback from a previous survey conducted in 2020, our team developed two new lookout platform concepts that integrate seamlessly into the surrounding natural environment, offer improved views of the waterfall and escarpment landscape, and feature more sustainable materials and construction methods.

Concept A, the Woodline Lookout, is rectangular in shape and provides excellent views of the waterfall, escarpment, and valley. This design incorporates a clean, simple design with weathered steel guard rails that will age naturally and enhance the site’s natural beauty. Additionally, the platform’s concrete surface has been replaced with composite decking to provide a lighter and softer feel.

Concept B, the Serpentine Lookout, features a rounded platform extension with curved, powder-coated guard rails that offer a more direct view of the waterfall, escarpment, and valley. Like Concept A, the platform’s concrete surface has been replaced with composite decking.

Visit the link below to learn more and share your feedback on the concepts!

https://engage.hamilton.ca/albionfallsviewingplatform

The City of Guelph is getting a new splash pad at Margaret Greene Park in 2024!  SDG was recently retained by the City to provide full landscape architectural services for this project.  Community engagement is often one of the first steps in the design process and our team, in conjunction with the City, is pleased to share our preliminary concepts.  Congratulations to the City of Guelph for engaging the young minds in the classrooms throughout the city as well. 

The final concept will implement a unique vision and perspective on water play that will inspire curiosity and exploration for all visitors, with children as the focus.

Click the link here to learn more about the design concepts. The City will reveal the final design in August 2023, so stay tuned!

We’re honoured to have SDG’s senior landscape architect, Brad Smith, deliver the alumni lecture at the University of Guelph’s Last Lecture event tonight. He will be the first Landscape Architect to receive this honour. Brad’s ground-breaking work in Landscape Architecture has inspired many, and tonight he’ll share his insights with the U of G community.  Join us in celebrating together with Brad as he creates the next chapter in his career.

The Last Lecture offers University of Guelph graduating students, an opportunity to come together and reflect upon their experiences at Guelph and celebrate many accomplishments both inside and outside of the classroom. The event features an address by a graduating student who has competed for the honour, a distinguished alumnus and a faculty member will also offer words of inspiration to the Class of 2023. 

The event starts at 5:30 pm until 7 pm and will be held at the War Memorial Hall. RSVP at https://gryphlife.uoguelph.ca/event/232946

The season finale of 47 Filmworks’s WDYD Series (What Do You Do?) called “What do Landscape Architects do?” featuring Brad Smith is now live! Aimed at inspiring aspiring professionals, the episode focuses on everything Landscape Architecture . The filming spanned two days, during which Brad showcased the SDG studio and led the crew to various project sites across Burlington, Hamilton, and Waterloo. Brad discusses the exciting and rewarding profession of landscape architecture, a multifaceted discipline that requires creativity, technical expertise, and a deep understanding of the natural and built environment.

SDG is celebrating International Women’s Day today by acknowledging all the amazing women in our office and the astounding work that they do.

Last week our team virtually attended “The Development Approach Process in Toronto” hosted by Smart Density, an Architecture and Urban Planning firm for forward-thinking developers and innovative municipalities who want to achieve smarter density.

The SDG team enjoyed learning about the process of getting projects through approvals in the City- with lessons that can be applied to all projects across the GHTA and beyond.

As landscape architects we play a critical role in designing public and private realms and shaping the outdoor environments with allied professionals.

Big thank you to Mike Flint for organizing for the SDG team!

Last week our team had the privilege of being hosted by Green Theory Design to tour their East facilities and learn more about their products, services, and capabilities to assist with current and future projects.

Our team believes education like this is so critical to the development of staff, careers, and making us better landscape architects.

Big thank you to Green Theory Design and Park Street Solutions for hosting us and your generous hospitality.

Our Senior Landscape Architect, Brad Smith, published an article in the Landscape Architect and Specifier News (LASN) Magazine. The article features a unique project SDG worked on in unison with the Ancaster Community Group to save a beloved 18-acre green space in Ancaster. Brad discusses the history of the Ancaster School Grounds and the design considerations that went into designing the land into a multi-use park space and a revitalized community destination. The full article is available to read and download through the digital magazine on page 100.

SDG would like to welcome our new Landscape Designer, Alyssa McDonald. Alyssa is currently in her third year completing a degree in landscape architecture with a certificate of environmental citizenship at the University of Guelph. She has prior experience working in a design-build firm specializing in residential design. We believe this experience will be an asset to the SDG team as it provides her with valuable hands-on knowledge. Alyssa is passionate about the environment and sustainability and hopes to provide people the ability to explore and appreciate nature through her designs.

Welcome to the team Alyssa!