STUDIO tla

The City of Mississauga's evolution from its suburban roots into a vibrant urban city involves enhancing pedestrian experiences and urban space amenities, particularly in its city centre and its growing number of mixed-use developments. The imminent delivery of Elm Park is another step forward in the City’s efforts. Located at the corner of Elm Drive West and Kariya Drive just south of the popular, Japanese-inspired Kariya Park, the 0.5-hectare urban civic space­–designed by STUDIO tla in collaboration with the City and Solmar Development Corporation–will feature a public art installation, play elements, pathways, a small canopy of urban trees and seating to encourage small gatherings. Construction of the new, 0.5-hectare urban civic space ­in downtown Mississauga will begin soon, with completion targeted for spring 2025. Stay tuned for more updates, but in the meantime you can learn more here: https://bit.ly/4dZydZu Gateway arch rendering courtesy of the artists Quentin VerCetty and Javid JAH. Special thanks to our key project partners: Shade Structure: Forms+Surfaces Lighting: TECHNILUM Furniture: Landscape Forms #parks #urbanpark #streetscape #publicart #publicrealm #design #community #diversity #urbantrees

Growing the VMC with density and height as well as meaningful public space.This exciting development will help define the urban form of Vaughn. STUDIO tla is pleased to be part of the Toromont team.

Our long-time friend, William DeLuca, was recently recognized at the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects (OALA) annual conference in Niagara Falls with an OALA honorary member award for his expertise and leadership in the landscape industry. During an extraordinary career with Aldershot Landscape Contractors that has spanned more then 50 years, Bill’s commitment to professionalism, leadership, mentorship and philanthropy is unparalleled, setting a benchmark against which his peers and future professionals are compared. STUDIO tla Partner and OALA Councillor Paul Marsala – who is pictured here with Bill at the conference – was on hand to celebrate with Aldershot’s semi-retired Partner Emeritus. Congratulations Bill - you are an inspiration to us all! Read more about Bill and this year’s other winners of OALA Honours and Awards: https://bit.ly/3NyM52d #OALA #Conference #LandscapeArchitecture #Awards #Honours #Leadership #Professionalism #Mentorship #Philanthropy

The official unveiling of Mino Bimaadiziwin, Good Life, 2024 recently took place at a public event hosted by Exhibition Place. A drumming and smudging ceremony led by members of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (MCFN) kicked off the event, followed by several speeches from the artists, father and son duo August and Luke Swinson; Chief Claire Sault, MCFN; Ausma Malik, Deputy Mayor and City Councillor, City of Toronto; and Don Boyle, Exhibition Place CEO. A ceremonial ribbon cutting rounded out the proceedings. The unveiling event marked a significant step forward for connecting communities with Indigenous knowledge and history through public art. Mino Bimaadiziwin, Good Life, 2024 is one of the largest, permanent Indigenous public art installations in Eastern Canada, standing in a highly visible location at Exhibition Place–which attracts 5.3 million visitors each year–and the nearby Gardiner Expressway–one of Canada’s busiest highways averaging 140,000 vehicles travelling daily on weekdays. This prominent location gives millions of people each year the opportunity to view and interpret Indigenous stories being told on a 50m x 7m steel canvas that, in the words of the artists, reflect the natural world around Toronto, while portraying how the land had been long before the city was built. In our role helping to guide the artists’ vision from concept to a detailed design, STUDIO tla has been truly honoured for the opportunity to collaborate with Luke and August, Exhibition Place, the MCFN Culture & Design Advisory Committee, and community advocates to celebrate the cultural and historical significance of MCFN as Treaty Holders. Special thanks also to the important contributions from project team members Moses Structural Engineers (Structural Engineering), Cobalt Fabrication (Fabricators) and Moon-Matz Consulting Engineers (Electrical Engineering) Photo credit: Shlomi Amiga #indigenousart #indigenousartists #Indigenous #History #Culture #Storytelling #Toronto #publicart #landscapearchitecture Read more about the project here: https://bit.ly/3NjF98X #indigenousart #indigenousartists #Indigenous #History #Culture #Storytelling #Toronto #publicart #landscapearchitecture

Today is big day: the unveiling ceremony for Mino Bimaadiziwin, Good Life, 2024. This post from Exhibition Place shares details on attending the ceremony, plus a recent CBC news coverage.

Today is the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation–a day to honour survivors of residential schools and their families and communities. Learning and understanding the past and practising reconciliation in our own lives are important steps towards the ongoing work that needs to be done. This journey towards reconciliation is represented by the pathway­ depicted in the accompanying image. In that spirit, we invite to read more about Phyllis Webstad from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, who is a residential school survivor and the founder of the Orange Shirt Day movement. Learn more about Phyllis Webstad: https://bit.ly/3TL5ArW #TruthAndReconciliation #OrangeShirtDay #EveryChildMatters

The installation is well under way and the big unveiling is just around the corner...

The newest edition of our quarterly newsletter, Contours, is now available. It covers the latest news and ideas from our studio and beyond, including the public realm vision we're designing for Pickering Town Centre with CentreCourt, a feature article about a 50m x 7m art installation that is under construction at Exhibition Place’s Centennial Park designed by Indigenous father-son duo August and Luke Swinson, and an article published in the The Globe and Mail featuring STUDIO tla’s Jeffrey Craft that argues providing accessible spaces is a moral imperative and a strategic investment.   Read these stories and more in the newsletter: https://bit.ly/4ez09nA #landscapearchitecture #urbandesign #masterplanning #publicrealm #parks #mixedusecommunities #news #updates #thoughtleadership #accessibility #inclusive

Covid helped us collectively understand just how important parks are to building healthy, thriving cities. Now, demand for more parks and greater access to public spaces in urban areas seems to be higher than ever. But with many municipalities running soaring deficits in the wake of the pandemic, how will North American cities meet this public need? In a recent essay published in Municipal World Magazine, STUDIO tla’s Jeffrey Craft argues that Public Private Partnerships (P3s) are one answer. Citing examples in Toronto, New York, Dallas and Chicago, Jeff outlines how major cities have successfully employed P3s to deliver critical infrastructure and public amenities–specifically parks and open space–for growing cities that cannot afford to build and maintain themselves.   Read the article: https://bit.ly/47oEFaH   #Parks #PublicRealm #PublicPrivatePartnerships #P3 #UrbanDesign #LandscapeArchitecture #Cities  

Mino Bimaadiziwin, Good Life, 2024–a 50m x 7m art installation that is now under construction at Exhibition Place’s Centennial Park–was recently featured in Design Lines Magazine. In the article, Indigenous father-son duo August Swinson and Luke Swinson –with whom STUDIO tla collaborated to help bring their artistic vision to life–offer insights into the inspiration and approach that led to the development of the piece. Read the full article: https://bit.ly/3AKFmiz #indigenousart #indigenousartists #Toronto #Indigenous #History #Culture #Stories