DIALOG’s sθәqәlxenәm ts’exwts’áxwi7 Rainbow Park has been awarded the 2024 National Urban Design Award under the category of Civic Design Projects.
This category includes civic improvement projects such as a parks, public space, environmental infrastructure, and other elements implemented as the result of an urban design plan or initiative. On behalf of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), and Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), the award will be presented at the 2024 RAIC Conference on Architecture ‘Celebration of Excellence’, on May 17, 2024, at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, along with 11 other recipients.
The National Urban Design Awards are awarded every two years and recognize the important link between architects, planners, and landscape architects in achieving successful urban design. Urban design plays an important role in maintaining and enhancing the quality of life in communities, and these awards help promote awareness of that role. The awards program recognizes individuals, organizations, firms, and projects in Canada that have contributed to the quality of life and the sustainability of Canadian communities.
“The submissions were consistently very high quality, and focused on many of the topics we as designers are all focusing on in our ever-changing world – justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, on climate change, on resiliency and as always – on high quality design for the many end users we strive to serve,” the jury shares.
The National Urban Design Awards encourages the submission of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary projects, acknowledging the importance and impact of teamwork in creating these spaces.
Congratulations, DIALOG and to all other award recipients!
sθәqәlxenәm ts’exwts’áxwi7 Rainbow Park
sθәqәlxenәm ts’exwts’áxwi7 Rainbow Park, a collaborative project with the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation, is a dynamic concept that makes space for a vibrant and diverse community of downtown residents and visitors to come together, serving 30,000 neighbours through complex terracing, elevated walkways and an integrated café pavilion. Located in Vancouver’s downtown core, the park brings green space to the city and provides people a place to gather, engage in social activities, enjoy an integrated café pavilion, and take in their surroundings from the pedestrian bridge. The park has been celebrated as a unique, inclusive, and highly innovative space by the community, setting a new direction for park design in the city. The result is a deeply connected, multi-dimensional experience that bridges nature and culture, past and future.
About National Urban Design Awards
The Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Canadian Institute of Planners, and the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects—in cooperation with Canadian municipalities—work closely to promote awareness of enhancing the quality of life in Canadian communities. In 2006, the three organizations established the National Urban Design Awards program to recognize individuals, organizations, firms, and projects in Canada that have contributed to this.
The program offers six categories: Urban Design Plans, Urban Fragments, Urban Architecture, Community Initiatives Award, Civic Design Projects, and Student Projects. The next call for submissions will take place in the Fall of 2025.
