2018 Urban Design Awards—Fort Needham Memorial Park

Award of Excellence

Urban design plays an important role in enhancing the quality of life for residents. Urban design helps build better communities by improving the functionality, sustainability and overall appearance of the public and private spaces. Done well, design makes a lasting positive impact for residents now and in the future.

After a hiatus of close to ten years, the 2018 Halifax Urban Design Awards were held on Friday, May 4, 2018, to celebrate achievements in Urban design. The Jury of Anne McIlroy (Principal at Brook McIlroy, Toronto), Maki Kawaguchi (Associate at Gehl, New York), Antonio and Gomez-Palacio (Principal at Dialog, Toronto) an Award of Excellence in Civic Design for Fort Needham Memorial Park.

…how this difficult historical event was memorialized into poetic details. Design elements are clearly made from a strong and simple design palette, using high-quality materials, and are thoughtfully integrated to form a compelling and revitalized park.

—Jury member

Urban Design excellence plays a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing the high quality of life throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality. The Municipality, in partnership with the Nova Scotia Association of Architects (NSAA), the Licensed Professional Planners Association of Nova Scotia (LPPANS), the Atlantic Provinces Association of Landscape Architects (APALA), Engineers Nova Scotia (ENS), and the Interior Designers of Nova Scotia (IDNS), wishes to promote awareness of the value of Urban Design. Submissions were received for five award categories. Each category had different eligibility requirements and individual criteria for award selection. In addition to being evaluated based on each category’s individual criteria, all successful nominees must have achieved the Municipality’s Urban Design Goals as: design that is human-scaled; design that reflects community context; and design that inspires civic awareness and participation.