Seashore Commons

Le Jardin de bord de mer

Ste-Flavie, Québec

The Saint Lawrence River estuary and the adaptive capacity of plant life. In collaboration with Les Jardins de Métis and the municipality of Sainte-Flavie.

Part of the book Landscapes of Retreat

[K. Verlag, Berlin]

Part of the book Landscapes of Retreat

[K. Verlag, Berlin]

Part of the book Landscapes of Retreat

[K. Verlag, Berlin]

Downland the handbook "How to grow a shoreline" (Download) (Print Booklet)

Completed with support from the Annual Grant from the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF).

Downland the handbook "How to grow a shoreline" (Download) (Print Booklet)

Completed with support from the Annual Grant from the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF).

Download the handbook "How to grow a shoreline" (Download) (Print Booklet)

Completed with support from the Annual Grant from the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation (LACF).

This project addresses the retreat of communities away from the shoreline by valuing the land that is left behind. In particular, it addresses extreme shoreline erosion by relying on the adaptive capacity of plant life. Many shoreline plants modify their structure to changing conditions by strengthening their connection to the soil. In this way, Jardin de bord de mer celebrates change by transforming privately abandoned lots into vibrant public spaces. We envision the gardens as an inclusive fabric that transforms the entire shoreline and strengthens it for an uncertain future.

Ce projet aborde l’exode des communautés du bord de mer en revalorisant les terrains qu’elles laissent en arrière, les « Landscapes of Retreat ». En particulier, il s’attaque à l’érosion extrême des berges en s’appuyant sur la capacité d’adaptation de la vie végétale. Plusieurs plantes du littoral adaptent leur structure aux conditions changeantes en renforçant leur connexion au sol. « Jardin de bord de mer» célèbre le changement en transformant des terrains privés abandonnés en lieux publics dynamiques. Nous imaginons un aménagement inclusif qui transforme tout le bord de mer et le renforce en vue d’un futur incertain.

The Canadian News: "A new park in Sainte-Flavie to fight against coastal erosion."

Radio-Canada: "Studying Nepal's response to climate change… in Sainte-Flavie."

Bloomberg: "Who Will Manage the US Climate Retreat?"

The Canadian News: "A new park in Sainte-Flavie to fight against coastal erosion."

Radio-Canada: "Studying Nepal's response to climate change… in Sainte-Flavie."

Bloomberg: "Who Will Manage the US Climate Retreat?"

Accepting a transitional shoreline means understanding that the living environment is, in increasingly important ways, asking how to shape the shoreline rather than how to preserve it. Designing a series of shoreline gardens in lieu of restoring existing, fragile ecology forces a consideration of how the environment is valued and managed. In this case, deliberate species selection realizes the potential of plants to shape the environment, providing a foundation to develop a design that can be manipulated and measured alongside other, more typical construction materials.

Completed with support from Fonds de solidarité FTQ and Telus.

Accepter un bord de mer en transition signifie comprendre que, de manière de plus en plus importante, l’environnement vivant qui nous entoure nous demande de savoir comment façonner le littoral plutôt que comment le préserver. Concevoir une série de forêts au lieu d’essayer de restaurer une écologie existante déjà fragile oblige à prendre en compte la manière dont l’environnement est valorisé et géré. Dans le cas présent, la sélection minutieuse et bien pesée des espèces végétales permet de tirer parti du potentiel des plantes pour façonner l’environnement, et sert de fondation à un design qui pourra être manipulé et mesuré en parallèle à d’autres matériaux de construction plus typiques.

Below left: The pilot site before and right, a rendering of the site after installation.