Commercial Solutions

Project Background

Working with WSP, HTFC developed a series of pedestrian-first streetscapes within the East Exchange District including heritage interpretive elements, public art, and innovative design in coordination with various City departments, CentreVenture, and local stakeholders. Streets redeveloped included Rorie, Market, Bertha, James, Elgin, Lily, Pacific and John Hirsch Place – the first shared pedestrian / vehicular street in Winnipeg. Borrowing space from the roadway, they created generous, comfortable and active environments with accessible sidewalks, safe pedestrian crossings, seating areas, public art, lighting improvements, sustainable tree planting; and on John Hirsch, a sustainable drainage system designed to capture surface runoff from the street and irrigate the trees.

Design Inspiration and The Use of Interlocking Concrete Pavers

John Hirsch Place: The lane was repaved with large concrete unit paving slabs (Broadway pavers), which are regionally manufactured, stronger than concrete pavement and faster and cheaper to repair. Pavers allowed us to create a unique paving pattern: the channel meanders of the former Brown’s Creek are recalled through an abstracted paving pattern.

Lily: Broadway Paver Intersections – James, Rupert, Pacific & Alexander: Lily Street is the major north-south access into the East Exchange bringing people into the area and connecting side streets to the important cultural and heritage features in the District. Pavers are used at intersections to calm traffic and mark important pedestrian crossing by material, texture and colour change.

Author: James Hudson of HTFC Planning & Design