BOWNESS PARK REDEVELOPMENT

Bowness Park is a 30 hectare (74 acres) urban park on the Bow River. It is popular for picnics, boating, and ice skating on the lagoon and the canal which feeds it.

Client: City of Calgary

Location: Calgary, Alberta

Project Type: Buildings

About This Project

Created in 1911, Bowness Park is a 30 hectare (74 acres) urban park on the Bow River in the north-west quadrant of the City of Calgary. It is popular for picnics, boating, and ice skating on the lagoon and the canal which feeds it.

In their September 2009 report, IBI Landplan describes the park as a significant cultural landscape, “It has evolved from a wilderness resort to an amusement and pleasure ground, to a natural retreat surrounded by urban development. The park is cherished as a place for family recreation in a perceived natural environment; this has historically been, and continues to be, Bowness Park’s most fundamental and defining characteristics.

ISL undertook Structural Engineering for the redesign and refurbishment of the major park buildings and structures, which included;
1. The Teahouse and New Concession Pavilion, New Expansive Wood Framed Court Yard
2. The New Wading Pool and Building
3. Orthophonic Building
4. Recreated Boat Rental Building
5. Pumphouse Building
6. Two Pedestrian Bridges
7. Maintenance Building
8. Washroom Building
9. Sun Shelters

ISL developed the concept of reinterpreting and re envisioning the historical elements of the park utilizing modern engineered wood products, in conjunction with hand cut heavy timber posts, beams and trusses.

The use of these wood design elements allowed ISL to emulate the historical elements and aesthetic, while ensuring longevity to the structures.