My part is titled Where Water Hears the City.
My site sits at the highest elevation
among the three of us, forming a narrow linear space between Grandview Highway
and the SkyTrain line, as well as the CPR railway. This location is constantly
exposed to loud traffic noise from both the north and south sides. From our early
research, I realized that the noise at this site is nearly impossible to be fully buffered;
however, it can still be used as an acoustic element in my design. This leads to my
project statement:
In a city where noise cannot be erased, the creek becomes a listener. Through
widened channels, cut-and-fill earthworks, and shifting water flows, urban sound is
refracted, absorbed, and transformed—allowing Still Creek to remake the city’s noise
into a new, layered soundscape.
I began my design by reviving the historical creek and reconnecting it with the
existing one. Using cut-and-fill methods, I widened the creek while reusing the
excavated material to construct four earth mounds of different sizes. The widened
creek not only stores excess water during storms and helps mitigate 100-year
flooding, but also becomes a dynamic natural space that supports wildlife.
Now, let me take you on a walk through the redesigned site.
You arrive at Renfrew Station on the Millennium Line. After crossing the street, you
see a greenway. Although it sits close to the CPR railway, dense planting creates a
clear separation. Walking along this greenway for a short distance, you reach the
entrance of the park.
Following the winding path, you notice on your left a densely planted earth mound.
The raised landform and its varied plant heights cannot fully block the sounds of
passing SkyTrain and freight trains nearby, but the noise no longer feels as sharp or
overwhelming.
The path then leads you onto an extended platform built over the widened creek.
Here, the sound of flowing water becomes clearer, accompanied by occasional
birdsong from the surrounding forest. At the same time, your presence does not
disturb the wildlife inhabiting this area. Beneath the platform lies the first floodable
zone, where the meandering creek slows as aquatic plants filter the water and allow
sediments to settle. The perspective drawings show how the water levels in the
floodable zones change in dry and rainy seasons.
Continuing along the path, you soon see a elevated crossing that leads toward a
larger earth mound on the opposite side of the creek. You choose this raised
walkway. Underneath it lies the second floodable zone, where aquatic vegetation
further filters the water flowing through the creek.
After crossing, you find yourself within a donut-shaped earth mound. Its recessed
center forms a relatively quiet pocket space. The surrounding mounds and rich
vegetation create an enclosed environment—an ideal place for solitude or gentle
conversation with friends.
Exiting this huge donut, you arrive at a linear plaza facing the street—one side
connects to the adjacent building, while the other continues along the creek. Now
you have no destination in the building, you continue your walk along the creek.
On your left, the creek flows gently, and across from you is the third floodable zone.
Unlike the previous ones, this area receives no human disturbance, forming a more
isolated habitat where many birds live in the forest beyond. On the right side,
although the road is close, a row of evenly planted street trees helps soften the
visual exposure. The combined presence of running water and occasional birdsong
offsets the persistent traffic noise, keeping your walk pleasant. The low earth mound
to your right also screens some of the busy traffic, allowing you to feel close to
nature.
Eventually, you reach the sidewalk along the street. After passing a meadow on your
left, you arrive at a paved plaza where residents can spend some spare time.
Walking through the plaza, you see a path leading halfway up the mound. You follow
it, although the path is not leading you into the dense forest, it goes across the
mound, and finally you discover the exit that brings you back to the greenway where
your walk began.
In this park, traffic noise from both sides of the site is still audible. However, the
raised earth mounds and the sunken creek form a valley-like profile that blocks part
of the noise while amplifying the natural sounds of flowing water. Vegetation of
varying heights disrupts sound waves and attracts more birds to inhabit the area.
When wind passes through the trees, the rustling leaves and the flowing water help
mask part of the low-frequency traffic noise. Meanwhile, occasional bursts of
high-frequency birdsong draw people’s attention away from traffic.
Together, these elements create a new soundscape within the city’s noise—a
layered acoustic environment where water listens, absorbs, and transforms the
urban condition.