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Parc Chauveau
By : BC2 et Ville de Québec
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Landscape & Territories
Categories : Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture - Public Space : Gold Certification
Categories : Special Awards / Landscape + Water : Platinum Winner
Categories : Special Awards / Landscape + Art Integration : Silver Certification
Categories : Special Awards / Environmental Project : Gold Certification
Parc Chauveau is Quebec City’s largest urban park. The park features exceptional riverside landscapes, natural environments of high ecological value and recreational facilities, all of which combine to create a vast urban outdoor site for everyone. Thanks to financial support from the governments of Quebec and Quebec City, the first phase of work to revamp the park was completed, including new immersive experiences in the herbaceous wasteland, the woodlands and the banks of the Saint-Charles River. In accordance with the Plan de mise en valeur des rivières de Québec, the approach taken was sensitive to the landscape, public accessibility and the preservation of the natural environment.
The project created a new visitor trail that runs from the park entrance to the Saint-Charles River. It also features an inclusive trail that highlights the park’s biodiversity, contemplative riverside features, skatepark and pumptrack recreational areas, and the integration of a work of art.
The biodiversity trail was created to make the park and river accessible to everyone. Its long, winding, universally accessible route crosses a vast landscaped hillside and strategically bypasses the wetland at its base to join the path leading to the river. It is overlooked by an observation deck and showcases the native wild land. The planting strategy involved recovering the seeds and soil in situ, then spreading them after the path was built. In a spirit of fun and education, a narrative on the park’s biodiversity was developed and expressed through thematic groupings of plants and the inlaying of graphic pellets representing iconic elements specific to these worlds.
On a wooded peninsula on the Saint-Charles River, a redeveloped path leads to a natural beach and a contemplative platform creates a space in which to commune with the river’s visual and aural landscape. Alongside these developments, measures to restore the riverbanks were implemented. Parts of the riverbank were replanted, and informal paths, created in an unplanned way by users, were closed and renaturalized to regenerate sensitive natural ecosystems and prevent degradation.
The project also sought to restore the place of water in the park, respecting the freedom of the watercourse rather than imposing a fixed course through artificial structures. The project accepted the natural movement of the riverbed, thereby encouraging free flow and flooding and helping to preserve habitats and regulate hydrological cycles.
The primary goal of the project was to preserve the ecological balance while offering park visitors an immersive experience in a revitalized and preserved natural environment.
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