Over nearly a decade, PFS Studio has worked with OCAD University and the surrounding community to reimagine Butterfield Park beneath Will Alsop’s iconic tabletop building. The redesign transforms what was once an inward-facing plaza into a welcoming and flexible campus commons in downtown Toronto.
Previously, the plaza was constrained by limited permeability, sparse planting, and inward-facing seating that limited its ability to support daily campus life or institutional events. PFS Studio reoriented the space outward, strengthening connections to surrounding streets and to nearby Grange Park through clear entry sequence and legible circulation routes. Key path intersections create opportunities for informal gathering and temporary art installations, reinforcing the park’s role within Toronto’s cultural district.
Terraced, multi-directional seating forms the social heart of the park, supporting day-to-day campus life, community use, and major events such as convocation, where the terraces become an informal stage and audience setting. Throughout the park, whimsical bronze animal sculptures by Toronto-based artist David Salazar, add moments of discovery and play.
Developed in close collaboration with Two Row Architect and OCAD’s Indigenous Education Council, the design integrates a central fire circle as a focal gathering space connected to commissioned artwork by Jordan Bennett. A layered planting palette of predominantly native species frames the space at a human scale beneath the tabletop structure, providing seasonal richness and year-round interest.
