Landscape Architects agree: Spadina Wavedeck is kinda cool

Yay, the Spadina Wavedeck wins another award (okay, it didn't win a really prestigious one, but it did today).

From a press release out today

Waterfront Toronto's Spadina WaveDeck has received another prestigious design award, this time from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The Spadina WaveDeck earned a 2009 Honor Award from the ASLA in its General Design category and was one of two Toronto waterfront projects honoured this year.

"We're so pleased that the Spadina WaveDeck has been honoured again," said John Campbell, President and CEO of Waterfront Toronto. "This project exemplifies what Waterfront Toronto means when we say that design excellence is part of everything we do. It's a public gathering place that is also a stunning piece of art."

That's a wavy deck: Simcoe Wavedeck

Across the street from the Rabba on Queens Quay, right beside the coffee shop and Paws pet store, is the next of the wave decks that are being built. It'll be finished this year, probably by the summer. Above are some pictures a few days ago.

Sure is more wavy than the Spadina Wavedeck.

Well, Spadina Wavedeck didn't win

As we wrote about last month, the Spadina Wavedeck was nominated for has been nominated for a British design award. The winner was announced on the 25th and the winning architecture entry was the New Oslo Opera House.

The 'Wavedeck' look will be extended on the waterfront in the years to come.

Spadina Wavedeck considered for Brit design award

We've been saving this post for closer to the award date in February, but Waterfront Toronto decided to remind editors with a news release a few days ago in effort to spark some interest. Basically, the Wavedeck, designed by West 8, has been nominated for a British design award.

More from the presser that you can read in full here:

Waterfront Toronto's Spadina WaveDeck has been nominated for a prestigious 2009 Brit Insurance Design Award in the category of architecture and is the first Canadian project ever to be short-listed for the awards.

The Brit Insurance Design Awards are the Design Museum of London's annual exploration of the most innovative and forward-looking new work in design. One hundred projects from around the world are nominated in seven categories, which include architecture, fashion, furniture, graphics, interactive, product and transport.

Opened in September 2008, the Spadina WaveDeck is the first in a series of spectacular new public spaces being built along Toronto's waterfront. Designed by the internationally recognized and award-winning team of West 8 from Rotterdam and du Toit Allsopp Hillier (DTAH) from Toronto, the new wavedeck is a gateway to the lakefront at a site that previously lacked public access.

The geometry of the 630 square-metre timber deck uses playful curves that are constantly changing to provide for a flexible gathering space. The stairs act as an informal amphitheatre and the varying heights of the deck allow for different vantage points and ultimately different experiences with the lake. In the evenings, the space is kept animated with 24 underwater LED lights.

The 'Wavedeck' look will be extended on the waterfront in the years to come. We'll be watching the results of the awards in February.