Award Winning GUI Design for Strathcona Back Street
The Strathcona Back Street project objective was to integrate Low Impact Development (LID) with public realm enhancements.
With a goal to achieve a range of environmental, social, and economic
benefits, the development focused on the transformation of two parking
lots into high value pedestrian plazas, on a foundation of green urban
infrastructure (GUI).
The load bearing credentials of the GUI were an important consideration
for the project team with parking of food trucks and other heavy vehicles
anticipated in the plaza for the Edmonton International Fringe Festival, and
other popular community events.
Stormwater management to minimize flow through of pollutants from
the hardscape spaces into the nearby river valley was another key
consideration.
To meet these requirements, Landscape Architects Al-Terra and the City of
Edmonton couldn’t go past Citygreen Stratavault:
- Superior ultimate load bearing capacity to support the weight of heavy
vehicles using the plaza - Ability to harvest stormwater for passive tree irrigation
- Provides the soil volume and conditions needed to grow healthy, climate
resilient tree canopy, fast.
PROJECT DETAILS
Location
83 Avenue Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Planting
2021
Municipality
City of Edmonton
Landscape Architect
Al-Terra, EDA Urban Planning & Design
Installing Contractor
Land Tec Landscape Contractors
Stratavault Distributor
Norwood Waterworks
Tree Species
Ulmus Americana (Brandon Elm)
Number of trees
9
The Solution
To support stormwater catchment, 600mm catch basins
were installed to direct stormwater to the Stratavault soil
cell matrix through 200mm perforated pipes.
Since being installed, the monitoring of the system has
shown reduced runoff to the river valley and an overall
reduction to stormwater pollutants by more than 70%.
In 2023, the Strathcona Back Street project was awarded
the Sustainable Urbanism Award of Excellence at the 2023
Edmonton Urban Design Awards, and in 2024, a National
Climate Action Achievement Award.