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< Overview | Dufferin Park Courtyard Project | Need >
posted June 15, 2005
Description of the project
An earthen-walled courtyard, built in the summer of 2005, encloses the space to the northwest of the pool, creating an outdoor gathering place. It is built with a sand-clay-straw mix known as "cob" or "monolithic adobe", which is mixed by foot and applied will enclose the space to the northwest of the pool, creating an outdoor gathering place. It will be built with a sand-clay-straw mix known as “cob” or “monolithic adobe”, which is mixed by foot and applied by hand. It provides a spot for the washing station required by Public Health so that park staff can serve food by the pool in the summer while meeting Public Health requirements. It includes arches, doorways, niches, shelves, benches, a puppet window, sculptures and mosaics, and a green roof. Native plantings are incorporated around and within the courtyard.
Experiential workshops involved the local community in the building of the courtyard, and offered them a chance to learn about natural building techniques. The project offered workshops for classes of local school children, and for the general community. Work bees focusing on specific aspects of construction augmented regular, ongoing workshops. This project aimed to engage all users of the park, especially the parents and children who make the south end of the park their summer home. They are the main users of the structure once it was built, and made sizable contributions to its creation.