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CMHA Guelph.

A rain garden landscape that makes stormwater part of a calm setting for a mental health facility in Guelph.

CMHA Guelph facility with board-formed concrete wall, timber screen and rain garden planting along the street edge
client
Canadian Mental Health Association
location
Guelph, Ontario
year
2012 to 2015
status
complete
thinc's role
landscape architect: urban design, stakeholder consultation, detailed design, contract documents, contract administration
team
Levitt Goodman Architects
size
0.56 ha

thinc design was the landscape architect for the Canadian Mental Health Association's new health facility in Guelph, working with Levitt Goodman Architects. The site sits near the downtown core and pairs a renovated building with a new landscape.

The goal was a contemplative setting for the people using the building. The site had hard limits: parking, stormwater and water table infiltration all had to be handled. The landscape treats stormwater above grade, in rain gardens and a stone infiltration gallery along the building edge, so it becomes part of what you see and walk past.

Other main features are decorative entry plazas, timber screening that fits the building into the surrounding neighbourhood, and a varied planting palette. The result is a landscape treatment that is one of a kind in the Guelph community.

Contract documents were issued in December 2013. thinc design carried the project through construction in 2015, with site reviews and submittal reviews as contract administrator.

Wide view of the CMHA Guelph building, entry plaza and rain garden from the street
The building, entry plaza and rain garden from the street
Timber and steel entry canopy at the CMHA Guelph building with paved drop-off
Entry canopy and drop-off
Stone infiltration gallery with a bollard light beside the CMHA Guelph building
Infiltration gallery along the building edge
Infiltration gallery of rounded stone running along the glazed facade at CMHA Guelph
Infiltration gallery along the glazed facade
Paved entry walk with planted beds leading to the CMHA Guelph front door
Entry walk and planted beds
Banded unit paving and grasses at the CMHA Guelph entry plaza
Banded paving and planting at the entry plaza
Detail of the horizontal timber screen and cap at CMHA Guelph
Timber screen detail
Unit paving meeting the parking lot edge beside the CMHA Guelph building
Paving at the parking edge
Narrow rain garden swale between parked cars and a timber fence at CMHA Guelph
Rain garden swale beside the timber fence

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