{"id":25249,"date":"2012-01-23T08:12:05","date_gmt":"2012-01-23T13:12:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spacingtoronto.ca\/?p=25249"},"modified":"2012-01-23T14:11:02","modified_gmt":"2012-01-23T19:11:02","slug":"no-mean-city-abbey-gardens-by-williamson-chong-architects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2012\/01\/23\/no-mean-city-abbey-gardens-by-williamson-chong-architects\/","title":{"rendered":"NO MEAN CITY: Abbey Gardens by Williamson Chong Architects"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Cross-posted from <\/em>No Mean City,<\/em><\/a> Alex’s personal blog on architecture<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/p>\n

This isn’t a “tour” of a completed building but of a proposal: an idea by the Toronto architects Wiliamson Chong<\/a> to revive a former gravel pit north of Toronto as a hub of sustainable community development<\/a>. It recently won a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence. <\/a><\/p>\n

Sustainable, community, agriculture<\/em> – these are all sexy terms (for architecture, I mean), but the depth of this proposal is just as compelling. Starting with a 440-acre site in Haliburton, Ontario, that has been ravaged by gravel extraction, it suggests a series of buildings that would hold greenhouses and a growing assortment of cultural activities related to food. There would be a library and visitor\u2019s centre, gallery spaces, a test kitchen for workshops and culinary conferences, and more.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n


\n\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As the architects put it:
\nUsing the artists-in-residence format, people from all walks of life who in their own way engage food \u2014 nutritionists, agriculturalists, urbanists, chefs, farmers, food policy planners \u2014 could find a home at Abbey Gardens (in the Food Spire) where seemingly disparate interests can provide a place for a healthy coalescence of advanced thinking. In many ways, the gardens can be an \u2018abbey\u2019 where ideas are cultivated and developed with thorough study, focus and collegial input.<\/em><\/p>\n

The greenhouses themselves would form \u201cthe Cradle,\u201d an arc-shaped assortment of greenhouses divided into sections for optimal ventilation and lined by a corridor that allows viewing. They would surround \u201cthe Nest,\u201d an artificial wetland that would encourage plant growth on what\u2019s now a barren landscape.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This set of concerns – the combination of environmental regeneration, infrastructure and (carefully oriented) buildings – reflect the state of the art in contemporary architecture. But, together with a strong community organization like this one<\/a>, it also suggests how architects can be proactive in advancing the ideas of new cultural and economic projects as well as community-building.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Eventually the project could expand to include a food market and cultural venues. All of them, as imagined by Williamson Chong, are beautiful forms. But those forms – which I would love to see realized – are only the starting point for the real work.<\/p>\n

Do read the full description here<\/a>. Click below for a series of plans, renderings and description.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And as the proposed mega-quarry in Melanchton township wends its way through a political and regulatory process, we should consider what the end product of gravel extraction looks like:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cross-posted from No Mean City, Alex’s personal blog on architecture This isn’t a “tour” of a completed building but of a proposal: an idea by the Toronto architects Wiliamson Chong to revive a former gravel pit north of Toronto as a hub of sustainable community development. It recently won a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.Continue reading “NO MEAN CITY: Abbey Gardens by Williamson Chong Architects”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4088,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[6296],"class_list":["post-25249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-architecture","tag-alex"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNO MEAN CITY: Abbey Gardens by Williamson Chong Architects - Spacing Toronto<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacing.ca\/toronto\/2012\/01\/23\/no-mean-city-abbey-gardens-by-williamson-chong-architects\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NO MEAN CITY: Abbey Gardens by Williamson Chong Architects - Spacing Toronto\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cross-posted from No Mean City, Alex’s personal blog on architecture This isn’t a “tour” of a completed building but of a proposal: an idea by the Toronto architects Wiliamson Chong to revive a former gravel pit north of Toronto as a hub of sustainable community development. 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