ARCH350 – Assignment 3

Connor Manson
ID: 3607103

Urban Halifax is sprawled and diverse in terms of soft and hardscapes, the views differ
from oceanic along the Halifax boardwalk to built infrastructure and architecture
surrounding common commercial streets and quick escapes into green soft landscapes
found in the few parks located within the city center. One of these well-known public
urban spaces is hard to define. A large green public open space not enclosed by a buffer
of vegetation like most forested parks within an urban city, but rather enclosed by large
and ever-growing architecture. The Halifax Commons offers a unique retreat for the
citizens of the city created by a unique history.
Being Canada’s oldest urban park, surveys from Nova Scotia’s public archives show it
originated immediately after the city’s founding in 1749, and used for military purposes
should the city ever face an enemy attack by land.
In 1763 King George III granted the land “for the use of the inhabitants of the Town of
Halifax forever”. (Halifax Common, n.d.)

(Figure 1) (Nova Scotia Archives, 1963)

Over the next two centuries the commons evolved and divided, pieces of the
original 235 acres were allocated for public infrastructure such as hospitals, schools,
museums and different green spaces alike. The veterans ‘Camp Hill’ cemetery and
Halifax Public Gardens located on the southern part of the original parcel feel like
separate pieces of the cities frame work today, not bound to the original plot of land.
Separated from the surrounding urban environment by their walls and gates, their
typologies are set, and these spaces, although valuable, ate away at the once large
footprint of the Halifax Commons. At a time of urban sprawl we must ask, what green
space is left for the city dweller to enjoy free from program?
In the winter of 2020 the most recent development in the Halifax Commons came
as a response to the city’s decision to host the 2011 Canada Games. The location for a
speed skating course was proposed to the Commons and with a limited amount of public
use through the winter resulting in little to no opposition the plan was approved. The
Halifax Oval, a mechanically cooled loop stretching the length of more than three hockey
rinks was erected on the South-East part of the main Commons, bordering Cogswell
Street.
It was open to the public in December 2011 ahead of the speed skating events in
the Canadian Master Championship (Jan 15-16, 2011) and the 2011 Canada Games
(February 11-27, 2011). The Oval was set to be deconstructed the following March,
however, after a flood of public outcry to keep the skating surface for public use the city
council voted to keep the infrastructure.
Moving past a temporary attraction to a permanent structure seemed to be a brash
decision for a green space as established as the commons, a fair example of “Inventive
Analysis”, as Bernard Lassus explains in The Obligation of Invention. Feeling obligated
to do something with the site from the pressures of evolution and growth, changing the
course of a natural evolution of this site to meet modern societal pressure. (Swaffield,
2002)
Over the past decade the Oval has become a strong piece of the commons’ new
identity. During the winter months one can borrow skates, or an handicap push sled, take
skating lessons and use the space for leisurely skating or an evening pick up hockey
game, all for free. Providing a space that is mutually inclusive and affordable during the
winter months is not always easy, the oval seems to not only have achieved it but to have
set the bar for public open spaces in Nova Scotia. (Emera Oval, n.d.)

(Figure 2)(n.d.)
After the second winter, in the spring of 2012 the question began to be posed,
what is this space in the summer? The city council had debated for a few months about
the intended use of the space and what it could transform to with the warmer weather,
eventually, with enough wisdom, they decided to leave it open and watch how the public
interacts with the space once the ice is gone and a smooth concrete loop remains. The
result was a natural adaption. The public was found biking, and roller skating as if the
only thing that had changed was the weather, and it seemed its all that had. The city
adopted the public’s use and began offering bike and roller-skate lessons just as they have
during the winter for skating. The space was now becoming a yearly attraction, a positive
result of the city’s first use of “Minimal Intervention” (Swaffield, 2002) on an already
disturbed site.
 (Figure 3)(Macleod, 2016)

As the popularity and establishment grew over the Oval, so did the need to incorporate a
space to better facilitate its supporting functions, a permanent structure to house the
Zamboni, to store skates and equipment and introduce some bathrooms for the users.
Discussions began about the design for such a space a year after its opening. Local
Member of Parliament, Andy Filmore began campaigning for a design greater than what
its base function was. He addressed council stressing the importance of a landmark. “We
helped the council to understand the importance of a significant investment in good
design at this location. We inspired them with images of fantastic public buildings in
important places, from historic structures like in New York City’s Central Park, to
contemporary structures like in Chicago’s Millennium Park. We made the case that the
Halifax Commons is no less important, and deserves high quality design and materials
that would endure over generations. We were obviously thrilled when council agreed and
approved the funding.” (The Oval Pavilion, One Year Later | DSRA, n.d.)
A local firm, DSRA, was awarded the commission and put forth a series of public-
involvement workshops within the community. The public expressed interest in the
subjects of programming, amenities, circulation and site positioning, all of which were
discussed and worked through. However, the over arching goal of the architects was to
design a building that created a place. They wished to both speak to the city’s past and
the future ahead. “Nova Scotia is a place steeped in tradition and heritage. The Oval
pavilion helps to pave a new road for our built heritage to evolve and progress without
ignoring where we have come from.” (The Oval Pavilion, One Year Later | DSRA, n.d.)
Cladded mostly in brick, broken up with segments of floor to ceiling window-wall, the
pavilion relates to the public buildings of Nova Scotia while offering a contemporary
flare and a modern layout allowing efficient circulation and ease of use. With a low roof
that cantilevers out and slopes down to almost kiss the ground the pavilion further
integrates itself with the surrounding landscape.

(Figure 5)(Jackson, 2017)

It was recorded that prior to the pavilion opening, the summer before, “the oval saw
7,742 visitors. With the new building and amenities supported by it, it saw nearly 40,000
the following year”. (The Oval Pavilion, One Year Later | DSRA, n.d.) As the architect
said, “the pavilion creates a place”.
Similarly it changes the narrative of the landscape. Created out of necessity to support the
changed landscape is the story of the commons added to or altered with the addition of
the pavilion? From the commons comes the oval, from the oval comes the pavilion,
architecture that is well designed enough to identify as the space itself, redefining the
narrative altogether. If we compare this landscape to Swaffield’s (2002) description of
Potteiger & Purinton’s Landscape Narratives we understand that stories and landscapes
are similarly grown, the landscape of the commons spans far before the establishment of
Halifax, however, the story is only told to its founding. I speculate with such a recast to
the site the story will now begin with the Oval.
The Oval formed as a response to a temporary need that has become a large piece
of the city’s urban recreational amenities. It has continued the ongoing breakdown of
open and freely used green space, however, at the request of the public and with great
care for design and infrastructure. This programmed space is desired, does that make it
right? And if so, can this thought eventually result in a theme park of programs bursting
at the edges of the once vast green space we know as the Halifax Commons?

The next example does not define itself as either an urban park or a traditional
recreational public space, nor does it still exist, however, it was a solution to a problem
imposed on the circulation of the Halifax Waterfront in 2017, and attained national
coverage for its unique design within the region. I am talking about the Halifax sea
bridge.
When the $200M Queen’s Marque development was planned to break ground in
2017 many aspects of the downtown circulation had to be addressed and re-routed, none
more impactful on the citizens than the waterfront’s boardwalk. “A great feature of the
Halifax waterfront is the meandering boardwalk that follows the many inlets and
wharves. These jogs, combined with a series of inviting ground level shops and
amenities, and regular events and community gatherings encourage people to walk slowly
and enjoy the many different experiences on offer.,” said Manager of Design with
Develop Nova Scotia, T.J. Maguire, during a presentation at the waterfront session of
Wuhan Placemaking Week, in 2019. (Love This Town: Waterfront Lessons From
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, n.d.)
The boardwalk is not a public space bordered or enclosed by trees or fences but
more of a public corridor with many stops at each turn or point in the wharf. The desire to
be near the water is historically salient to Haligonian’s and after the Halifax Waterfront
saw 2.7 million visitors in 2016 (Floating Bridge to Keep Halifax Waterfront Walkable
as Queen’s Marque Takes Shape, 2017) the city knew they would have to find a solution
for the upcoming construction season.
 Ignoring any possibility of inaction as Bernard Lassus’ may have promoted in his
theory of Indivisible Places, where he more often that not expresses the need to restrain
from creating a passage through a place. “The decision to pass or not to pass through a
place, which is of symbolic order, must not be confused with the fact of finding an artistic
solution for that passage. The artistic solution can, after all, be a success or not, but is
dependent on the other, symbolic problem.” (Swaffield, 2002)
The ‘symbolic problem’ can be identified as the Halifax Harbour and boardwalk. To
create an alternate route for the boardwalk, the most viable course would be to extend
into the harbour, an act that takes passage from one landscape and gives to another.
The construction zone spanned approximately 360 feet along the boardwalk cutting off
the Southern half from the Halifax ferry terminal and the numerous commercial
businesses North of the site, all reliant on the constant foot traffic.
According to the director of operations for Waterfront Development Halifax, Adam
Langley, “The intent is to continue the look, feel and comfort of walking along the
existing boardwalk.” (Floating Bridge to Keep Halifax Waterfront Walkable as Queen’s
Marque Takes Shape, 2017)
However, in reality the design proved to do the opposite. The Halifax boardwalk is a
heavy timber, fixed structure, intertwining land and sea, but identifying more as land with
the wooden planks level with the infill material that has been pushed into the harbour
over the past century. The 360 feet of corridor that became inaccessible on the existing
boardwalk was to be pushed out further into the harbour. The structure had to remain
relatively light and mobile in case large materials needed to be delivered to the
construction site from the harbour and for the ease of winter storage. Its temporary
designation urged the design to be functional yet unembellished. In the early months of
2017 the design was released, the result was a floating dock system.

(Figure 6) (Williams, 2017)

“13 large commercial grade floating docks, each three by twelve meters.”
(Floating Bridge to Keep Halifax Waterfront Walkable as Queen’s Marque Takes Shape,
2017) The floating docks respond to the water, moving not only up and down with the
tides but also lurching back and forth with the waves. Creating a unique experience of the
boardwalk and one that initially had mixed reviews upon its July opening.
“This is really a comeback to my walk. When it stopped it was devastating to me. Now, I
can do the complete loop and I love it.” Said one pedestrian interviewed.
“I think we need to take Gravol before we walk on this thing”. Said another pedestrian
on the same day. “I’m getting seasick. It’s great. Great to connect but its tippy.” (Floating
Sea Bridge Opens on Halifax Waterfront to Mixed Reaction, 2017)
(Figure 7)(Grant 2018)
I recall my own experience on the bridge as a surprise. Although there are signs to
indicate the motion you cannot help but to be caught off guard as soon as you step foot on
the bridge and the structure bounces your weight back like an elastic band. I remember
comparing it to an old wooden suspension bridge you may find in the forest over a
ravine. However, you are not only subject to the movement of your own weight, but the
severity of the ocean’s chop on any given day. The bridge’s aesthetic matched its rough
experience, the raw wood bound by an orange plastic construction mesh does not give off
a luxury appeal and it was not meant to. Minimalist in design the bridge was designed for
function rather than form. The floating pieces of the dock were connected to land by two
ramps that acted as rigid hinges. This made the sea bridge technically accessible to those
with mobility disabilities. “… It’s a little rocky, but it’s doable.” Said one pedestrian in a
wheelchair interviewed by (Floating Sea Bridge Opens on Halifax Waterfront to Mixed
Reaction, 2017). Rocky seemed to be the common theme of the premier summer release
of the sea bridge, however, it finished with what Halifax Councillor Waye Mason
estimated as nearly 3 million visitors. (More Than a Million People Have Walked on the
Water as Halifax Sea Bridge Becomes Tourist Attraction, 2018)
 It was removed for the winter and reconstructed at the end of April 2018 to an
excited city. “People like it, they think its cool, they like the fact it goes up and down.”
Said Mason in a Toronto Star interview. (More Than a Million People Have Walked on
the Water as Halifax Sea Bridge Becomes Tourist Attraction, 2018)

(Figure 8)(Grant 2018)

Yet, none were likely as excited for the sea bridge’s return as the business owners on the
North end of the Halifax boardwalk. “Dennis Campbell (Owner of Murphy’s Cable
Wharf) said in an interview that the start of the 2017 tourist season was “dismal.” But
when the bridge opened in July, “it was like a light switch. Within minutes of the sea
bridge opening our empty restaurant and store just filled up,” Campbell said.” (More
Than a Million People Have Walked on the Water as Halifax Sea Bridge Becomes
Tourist Attraction, 2018) The seabridge returned to bridge the gap in the boardwalk in the
summers of 2019 and 2020 before the Queens Marque opened in the spring of 2021.
Ultimately the goal of the government was to create as little disturbance to the
Halifax Waterfront as possible while the development of the Queens Marque took place,
relating to Lassus’ theory of minimal intervention. (Swaffield, 2002). However, almost
by accident the temporary sea bridge created a completely unique path along the
waterfront that both solved the problem of circulation and enthralled the majority of its
users. Perhaps when thinking of design solutions to temporary disturbances within our
society the answer should not be the one of least change but to embrace the change and
create something new and enjoyable from it.
Citations:

Halifax Common. (n.d.). Community Use | 250 Years | Halifax.

https://www.halifax.ca/about-halifax/municipal-archives/exhibits/halifax-common

Swaffield, S. (2002). Theory in Landscape Architecture: A Reader. University of

Pennsylvania Press.

Emera Oval. (n.d.). Halifax. https://www.halifax.ca/parks-recreation/programs-

activities/outdoor-recreation/emera-oval

The Oval Pavilion, One Year Later | DSRA. (n.d.). https://dsra.ca/insight/the-oval-

pavilion-one-year-later

Nova Scotia Archives (Director). (1963). Halifax Commons No.1. Nova Scotia

Archives. https://archives.novascotia.ca/maps/archives/?ID=1751

(n.d.). Emera Oval. Discover Halifax. https://discoverhalifaxns.com/everything-

you-need-to-know-about-skating-on-the-emera-oval/

Macleod, B. (2016, June 16). The Oval Being Used for Rollerskating in the

Summertimr. Wikipedia.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emera_Oval#/media/File:Halifax_skating_oval.jpg
Jackson, T. (2017, April 17). Making A Place. DSRA | the Oval Pavilion, One

Year Later. https://dsra.ca/insight/the-oval-pavilion-one-year-later

Love This Town: Waterfront Lessons from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. (n.d.).

https://www.pps.org/article/love-this-town-waterfront-lessons-from-halifax-nova-

scotia-canada

Floating bridge to keep Halifax waterfront walkable as Queen’s Marque takes

shape. (2017, February 7). CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-

scotia/halifax-temporary-sea-bridge-queen-s-marque-waterfront-harbour-

1.3970632

Williams, C. (2017, February 7). The temporary sea bridge would involve a series

of 13 large, commercial grade floating docks, each three by 12 metres. CBC

News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/halifax-temporary-sea-

bridge-queen-s-marque-waterfront-harbour-1.3970632

Floating sea bridge opens on Halifax waterfront to mixed reaction. (2017, July

11). Atlantic. https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/floating-sea-bridge-opens-on-halifax-

waterfront-to-mixed-reaction-1.3496489
More than a million people have walked on the water as Halifax sea bridge

becomes tourist attraction. (2018, May 4). thestar.com.

https://www.thestar.com/halifax/2018/05/04/walking-on-water-by-more-than-a-

million-as-halifax-sea-bridge-becomes-tourist-attraction.html

Grant, T. (2018, May 4). Floating Walkway. Toronto Star.

https://www.thestar.com/halifax/2018/05/04/walking-on-water-by-more-than-a-

million-as-halifax-sea-bridge-becomes-tourist-attraction.html