Good design is often driven by limits, and this idea from Janet Rosenberg + Associates is driven by a harsh reality: In much of downtown Toronto, a newly planted tree is unlikely to live five years. (See image, page M1.) Usually, there's not enough room underground for their root systems, says Ms. Rosenberg, an award-winning landscape architect. And the situation on Charlotte Street near King and Spadina is particularly tough, since a mass of unmovable pipes and cables lies just under its surface.
The solution? An artificial “forest” of green, undulating umbrellas, dotted with chloroplast-like “cells” that collect solar energy to be used at night, as well as rainwater to be retained and slowly released. The fluttering shapes act like the leaves and branches of a tree, casting dappled light on the pedestrians below. The delicate supporting rods vibrate slightly, while the overhead canopies withstand snow and heavy rain. Holes in the umbrellas let shafts of sunlight through, while lights embedded in the sidewalk add to the effect at night.
The natural theme continues underfoot, with weaving bands of green carried across the sidewalk and the road; the bands themselves (of a high-tech material containing solar cells) might also be used to collect energy.
The idea, Ms. Rosenberg explains, is to create a sense of intimacy in an intensely urban setting. “The principles are simple,” she says. “It's about having your sidewalks and streets being expressive. … It's all about pedestrian scale.”
In this image from landscape architects Janet Rosenberg + Associates, a block near King and Spadina is transformed by an artificial forest of solar-cell umbrellas.
A passionate advocate both for visual transformations and more livable urban environments, Ms. Rosenberg says she is seeing a welcome new attitude toward urban design. “We've become much more visual people,” she says. “I would also say that the whole way of looking at our lifestyle, from the design point of view, is knit together with environmental concerns.”
Landscape architects in particular are used to the idea that many small changes can improve things. And when it comes to landscape, Ms. Rosenberg says, Toronto has not kept up with other major urban centres. To her, the current rash of cultural megaprojects is not nearly enough to transform the place. “None of those are about public spaces. But it's the public spaces that are really critical when it comes to how people feel about a city.”
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