'Awards Atlas' puts Canadian projects on the map
The CSLA Awards Atlas is an online resource showcasing award-winning projects recognised by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA).
It serves as a visual encyclopedia and living document, featuring diverse projects in areas such as city-wide planning, shoreline revitalisation, pedestrian-friendly spaces, residential gardens, and sustainable parks.
At the beginning of June the CSLA presented 15 National Awards at its 2025 Conference.
These were selected from 75 submissions, as “preeminent examples of Canadian landscape architecture” that “illustrate the range of what landscape architects do and how landscape architects are helping to reshape our communities by defining the places where we live, work, and play”.
One project annually receives the Jury's Award of Excellence for demonstrating the CSLA's vision of advancing the art, science, and practice of landscape architecture. For 2025 this went to Kìwekì Point – Big River Landscape by Janet Rosenberg & Studio (JRS).
The Award page states that Kìwekì Point revolves around one core objective: to strengthen connections.
Formerly called Nepean Point, the park was renamed through the process to ‘Kìwekì’ an Algonquin word meaning “returning to one’s homeland.” Located adjacent to the National Gallery, the park invites people to explore the Capital Region and reconnect with the area’s layered natural and cultural heritage, shaped by the Ottawa River. The design includes: the new Pìdàban pedestrian bridge that connects the park to Major’s Hill Park and the city beyond; an accessible promenade with dramatic river views; interpretive elements; and new sculptural elements and architectural feature, such as Whispering Point, which provides shelter and a place to gather and to experience panoramic views on two levels.
The ‘Big River Landscape’ concept plan guided the redevelopment of Kìwekì Point. It was the winning entry, by JRS, from an international design competition.
The remaining National Awards in 2025 went to the projects listed below. Click on the images to track through to accompanying image galleries - plus more information beyond the brief excerpts included below.
Twenty-four land acknowledgement signs were installed in parks and open spaces with the intent of celebrating the culture of the place now called Calgary. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/land-acknowledgement-project
Love Park is an endeavor to break from the grid and assert an open space character that reinforces Toronto’s evolving landscape specificity, a unique signature to express the spirit of the city. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/love-park
The Community Boardwalk project reconnects the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach to their land and their lake. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/naskapi-community-boardwalk
Improvements included preserving historic granite elements and sculptures, improving accessibility, adding historically accurate metalwork and enhancing public space. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/national-war-memorial-and-tomb-unknown-soldier
The park’s name evokes the idea of survival in a ”jungle-like” environment and the design of this new urban space is highly unconventional: a diagonal strip of land cutting through the backyards of former industrial buildings, serving as a reminder of Montreal’s early rail network, which remains ingrained in collective memory. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/parc-des-gorilles
With its Parc Fluvial (river park), the Musée maritime du Québec (Maritime Museum of Quebec) now boasts a permanent, entirely outdoor exhibit celebrating Canadian maritime history. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/parc-fluvial-musee-maritime-du-quebec
Quebec City’s new City Hall project is located within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vieux-Québec, a unique architectural ensemble that is foundational to the city’s identity. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/place-de-lhotel-de-ville-de-quebec
On a former quarry site along the St. Croix River in New Brunswick, Riverside Ranch is a project that marries architecture and landscape into a “coastal farm” vision for a family of two humans, two Leonberger dogs and several horses. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/riverside-ranch
The Sara Jackman Playground is the new outdoor play area at the University of Toronto’s Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study (JICS) Lab School. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/sara-jackman-playground
Named to honour the eagle, sp’akw’us, that soars higher than all birds, Sp’akw’us Feather Park has transformed Squamish’s waterfront. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/spakwus-feather-park
A café with a large patio, where lively community events are held, is closely linked to the adjoining floral landscape, interactive fountains and the artistic legacy of Charles Daudelin. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/square-viger-redevelopment-blocks-i-and-ii
The Tatlow and Volunteer Parks Creek Restoration addresses a critical urban challenge by uncovering and revitalizing a long-buried creek, transforming it into a thriving ecological and public asset. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/tatlow-and-volunteer-parks-creek-restoration
The landscape architect-led Vaughan Complete Streets Guide is the city’s primary resource for street design for practitioners, decision-makers and the public. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/vaughan-complete-streets-guide
This project exemplifies how innovative landscape architecture can reinvigorate downtown areas, support economic development and instill civic pride. Link: https://www.csla-aapc.ca/awards-atlas/yarmouth-main-st-streetscape-phase-2