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Parc de conservation du ruisseau de Feu
By : ABCP architecture
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 15th edition
Discipline : Landscape & Territories : Award of the Year Winner, Grand Winner
Categories : Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture - Public Space : Gold Certification
Ruisseau de Feu conservation park is a migration site for multiple bird species and a spawning area for the fish and amphibians of Rivière des Prairies. The City of Terrebonne wanted to build visitor facilities in keeping with the park’s protected area status, including marked trails with interpretive signage, walkways, interpretive shelters, and an observation tower.
In this highly fragile environment, designers had to create structures with minimal or even net positive environmental impact (such as shade houses or caches), and ensure they blended in with the natural surroundings. To avoid disrupting the sensitive ecosystem, the architects opted for prefabricated structures and scheduled work around periods when environmental restrictions were in place. Their interventions sought to mitigate the impact of old flood control structures and facilitate the regeneration of impacted spaces.
The circle—ideal for bringing people together during interpretation activities—was chosen as the basic shape for both the shelter and observation tower. The tower’s form suggests a tree trunk in the middle of the marsh, with openings reminiscent of woodpecker holes. The 16-metre-tall structure stands as a landmark, immediately visible to anyone arriving at the site.
Wooden boardwalks on pilings provide access to structures and trails. Both structures’ feature openwork walls made from vertical strips of weathering steel. This creates variable-density screens that influence the visitors’ perspective while concealing their presence from the wildlife. Special effort was made to ensure full-circle views from all points. Overall, the structures were conceived as “exoskeletons,” with the skin becoming a structural load-bearing element. Everything was built on pilings, emerging from the dense marshland vegetation in a way that suggests its temporary nature. The existing fishway and retention pond were also reinforced and are now an integral part of the visitor experience.
Wood was used for all flooring and benches, and for the platforms over the ponds. To minimize environmental impact, structural anchor points were limited to six for the shelter and three for the tower. The internal structure of the observation tower and substructure of the shelter are made of galvanized steel, which requires minimal maintenance.
Work on the project began in winter 2019 and was completed in summer 2021. Trails and construction were managed with great care to take flood zones into account. The interventions have already had a positive impact on wildlife, providing new shaded areas and protected corridors, for example. Visitors now enjoy safe trails and boardwalks, as well as shelters, benches, and an observation tower offering 360° views of the wetlands. The steel and wood structures and the interpretive signs are both discrete and contemporary.
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