GSP Group led a multi-disciplinary team to prepare the Kitchener City Hall Outdoor Spaces Master Plan. The City of Kitchener initiated the study as a result of infrastructure elements nearing the end of their life cycle. The Master Plan looked at opportunities to redefine the outdoor spaces during the repair of critical infrastructure to meet evolving accessibility, event programming, and operational needs.
GSP Group led the consulting team on the functional design exercise for Carl Zehr Square, which focused on the design of the water feature, surface and drainage treatments, and opportunities for increased shade. The detailed design and development of working drawings required expertise with building restoration, mechanical, electrical, civil, water feature, rink, and landscape design to realize the improvement initiatives for the water feature, rink, and perimeter plaza area as identified in the master plan and supported by the public and various project stakeholders through various consultation stages of the project.
Completed in 2022, the project re-energizes the square, and creates a flexible, premiere outdoor event space to support a variety of public programming options throughout the year, while also reducing long-term energy requirements and operational upkeep.
