PFS Studio was the landscape architect for the Sixth Street Play Area, an addition to the westward end of Westminster Pier Park in Downtown New Westminster, BC. The project continues implementation of the Riverfront Vision Plan to revitalize the historic Waterfront Precinct, maximize its utility to the community, and fully realize its potential as a tourist destination.
The new play area contributes an intensively designed 0.135ha to this prized public amenity, and directly integrates with the new pedestrian/cyclist overpass infrastructure to strengthen connections to this premiere riverfront park.
The space of the play area is created by the geometry of the stairs and offramp, sloping gradually to grade and offering spatial enclosure, social seating groups, and a lighted front face to the riverfront promenade beneath it. The play program is expressed as a series interconnected play “rooms” including a multi-use sports court, a play tower, swings and agility climbers, a toddler zone, a tumbledown shortcut, and naturalized play terraces with hammocks, designed for all ages and abilities.
The playground blends seamlessly with the adjacent Pier Park and demonstrates the City’s spirit and history: dynamic forms and bold use of colour evokes movement, growth, and industry; use of contrasting play surfaces in dynamic patterns to define play areas is reminiscent of water and the river; and integration of locally sourced wood firmly signifies the Pacific Coast. The resulting space is an exciting amenity that animates the public realm with varied and accessible play opportunities, a safe and inviting community space, and a visually and physically engaging landscape.
