While at DIALOG, Matthew led the design for a new Public Park called sθәqәlxenәm ts'exwts'áxwi7 (Rainbow Park) in the heart of downtown Vancouver.

The goal, to transform a sparse, surface parking lot, surrounded by tall towers and busy streets, into a welcoming, playful, and engaging people place that was inclusive and diverse, and offers a variety of activities and experiences for all ages and abilities.

With a fully integrated team of planners, community engagement specialists, engineers, landscape architects and architects, the team grew in response to the early and ongoing engagements with both Vancouver Park Board staff and City Departments, as well as Public and Stakeholder groups.

With Jennifer Fix (Ahne Studio) leading the early planning and community engagement, and with Tiina Mac and Joe McLeod as the City leads, the project team facilitated an extensive public and stakeholder engagement process that engaged close to a 1000 community participants that included residents and business owners from within the Yaletown neighbourhood as well as residents and visitors from across the City and Region.

Throughout this process four park concepts were explored and shared during multi-staged community and stakeholder workshops, with strong support forming for key design features, as well as an understanding for the technical requirements and lessons learned from the previously built parks within the surrounding downtown area.

SθӘQӘLXENӘM TS'EXWTS'ÁXWI7 (rainbow park) was opend to the public in 2022 and recieved the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects Award of Excellence the following year.

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While at Dialog, Matthew helped in the development of the Site Plan and led the Landscape Design for Seapan’s new head office.

Given the remote site location and limited public transit, much of the site was required to accommodate surface parking for the office and offshore employees. The design responded by incorporating onsite stormwater strategies that direct surface runoff into a central planted storm-water swale. After partial biofiltration and cooling, the conveyed water then passes through the existing oil separator before being discharged into the Burrard Inlet.

Matthew worked closely with the project Environmental Consultant to improve the conditions on site for new plantings that promote wildlife habitats and increased biodiversity along the foreshore that wraps the site.

A viewing deck with a BBQ hookup and bar-like seating was also introduced at the south end of the building, and has become a popular social amenity for the Seaspan staff during summer lunch breaks.

MTD worked with EcoPlan International, and the Town of Oliver Staff and Council members on the Local Economic Development Strategy ‘Grow Oliver’.

From this initial planning work, and through a series of design workshops with the Downtown Working Committee, a number of planning initiatives formed and further developed as they were shared with the larger community.

A Public Plaza and a Community Pavilion, with seen to be 2 key elements to co-locate towards helping to activate the public space as well as attract future developments and recognized as being both implementable in the near term and integral to the potential future revitalization of Station Street.

The proposed site for the future Public Plaza and Community Pavilion sits at the south end of an old RV campground and on the edge of the river and forms a threshold between the extensive recreational trail network that runs along the banks of the Okanagan River and as a key entry point to the Town centre of Oliver.

In late 2022 MTD joined the interdisciplinary design team for the Studioʔəy̓ alməxʷ/Iy̓ álmexw/ Jericho Lands Project, led Urban Strategies and PFS Studio to assist in graphicly facilitating a series of design sessions with Host Nations and the landowners, and to create iterative graphic illustrations that attempt to capture and convey the ideas, cultural values and practices shared throughout the design process.

ʔəy̓ alməxʷ/Iy̓ álmexw/the Jericho Lands lie within the unceded traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam) Indian Band, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) Nation, and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nation.

For millennia, the site was part of the lands and waters on which the Nations hunted, gathered and followed their cultural customs. ʔəy̓ alməxʷ/Iy̓ álmexw was the name of an important village that was once located close to the Salish Sea and what we now know as Jericho Beach Park, and Jericho and Locarno Beaches. It was connected to other villages and campsites by a network of trails radiating across the Host Nations territories.

Today, ʔəy̓ alməxʷ/Iy̓ álmexw/the Jericho Lands refers to a 36 hectare (90 acres) site, which is bound by West 4th Avenue to the north, Highbury Street to the east, West 8th Avenue to the south, and West Point Grey Park (Trimble Park) and Queen Mary Elementary School to the west. The site is owned by a joint venture partnership between the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) (MST) Partnership, and Canada Lands Company (CLC).

Clients: Village of McBride

Date Completed: Fall 2021

Role: Public Engagement + Design

Matthew Thomson worked closely with Anne-Marie Whittaker and Trevor Coghill of EcoPlan International, and Senior Staff at the Village of McBride to facilitate an engagement process with the community that explored initiatives and ideas towards improving the public amenities along Main Street.

During a series of walk shop events and community workshops local knowledge was shared that helped to inform a series of ideas that were developed and illustrated so the village could seek potential funding for their further development and implementation.

Initiatives such as improvements to the historic baseball diamond, enhanced playground and community pavilion and new light standards and street furniture/trees along Main Street were just some of the recognized improvements by the community towards authentic enhancements, that would contribute to the overall livability of this small historic community as well as economic resilience of the village and surrounding areas.

While at DIALOG, Matthew led the design for a programmed amenity space situated on the podium of UBC’s new South Gage student residences.

Working closely with Properties Trust, UBC Student Housing, Translink, the integrated design team create a space that accommodates a variety of active programmed areas, with ping pong and bocce court, as well as passive hangout spots with large open areas, variety of seating options including hammocks.

Drought tolerant plantings provide a low maintenance and biodiverse landscape that has seasonal colour and provides shade to this podium space.

Photos credited to ROBERT STEFANOWICZ

As MTD, Matthew worked with Hungerford Properties to explore potential urban design and public realm improvements for a future mixed-use development within an old industrial/residential neighbourhood in Calgary.

A primary area of study was the interface between the existing single family (zoned for multi-family development) and this proposed TOD sited upon an old warehouse site and adjacent to the future LTR station. An existing back lane running the length of the project boundary offers the potential for an improved bike and pedestrian route that would connect the adjacent neighbourhoods with the future LRT station. This people-centred space, would have minimal vehicular traffic and would be flanked with town homes, live-work units as well as potential future food services at key moments as the adjacent LRT station and surrounding neighbourhood develop.

MTD worked with EcoPlan International to assist the Town of View Royal in updating their Official Community Plan.

Some of the topics discussed with the community included strategies to incorporate future residential density into existing single family neighbourhoods by strategically looking at transit corridors and and community hubs to absorb the majority of this density.

Also explored were methods to effectively integrate a variety of land uses within existing light industrial and commercially zoned areas, towards creating resilient ,walkable and complete neighbourhoods, and in ways that do not jeopardize or add increased development pressures upon these important services and employment providers.

Improved active transportation and transit systems were also important considerations within the community, with key inputs provided by Bunt and Associates, as well as the integration of storm-water management strategies and enhancements of the natural assets and green open spaces, regarded as such important attributes by View Royal citizens

Jan-June 2020

“Downtown by Nature, Connected by Culture” became a catch phrase uncovered during a design charrette that MTD helped facilitate with the City of Coquitlam’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural team. Through a series of mapping sessions and knowledge sharing, ideas formed towards realizing a ‘public realm-centric’ Vision for Coquitlam’s rapidly developing City Centre.

This vision statement, not only speaks directly to the city’s unique geography, its intimate relationship with the surrounding natural systems, the creeks and forested ravines that stitch in and out of the downtown core, it is also a reference to the ambitions and ideas that formed around defining a ‘cultural heart or spine’. A series of complimentary public amenities and civic facilities, that could combine to help form a vibrant, inclusive and memorable civic identity; connecting the city’s neighbourhoods while defining a city centre.

During the workshop discussions formed around several themes and topics, such as the importance of well connected and well designed public parks and plazas, making sure they benefited from engaging edges and potential synergies with co-located interior programs, and recognizing the importance of maintaining solar access into the heart of this civic centre as the city quickly grows and develops.

The knowledge shared and ideas generated during our PRC design workshop were summarized, developed and illustrated to help convey the discoveries made in the early formation of this shared Vision, enabling other city departments, stewards and champions to join in this important and timely process.

Matthew is currently working with the City of Coquitlam to further develop these studies so they can be included in the City Centre Area Plan.

Matthew worked with Ilana Labow to help create early design concepts and graphic studies for a Community Food Hub Proposal.

These sketch studies helped to explore and convey a series of ideas that Ilana had envisioned as various programs and services combining to form a community hub of sorts, providing food security for vulnerable members of the community, as well as increased access to food related workshops and programs.

A Teaching Garden with Hot Houses, Harvest Hut, Pizza Oven, Mobile Food Pantry (repurposed bus), Shared Food Pantry, Welcome Lobby with Educational Resources , Community Dining/Multi Purpose Hall, Community Kitchen, Shared Work Hub and Meeting Spaces, were just some of the ingredients envisioned to help build interest and foster support for this community initiative .

MTD is working with Ahne Studio and Lanefab to provide the City of Burnaby with the tools to help them develop a comprehensive housing strategy, beginning by engaging the community to explore laneway homes and secondary suites within their neighbourhoods

MTD and Ilana Labow are working together again to design a temporary community food garden on the roof of a parkade structure of a Vancouver Synagogue

Matthew is working with Jennifer Fix and Lucas Ozols-Mongeau of Ahne Studio and is excited to be part of a multi-disciplinary team, contributing Urban Design, Landscape Architecture and Graphic Facilitation to this Official Community Plan process.

Matthew Thomson Design led this park planning project, and collaborated with Diamond Head Consulting to help the City of Surrey’s Parks Recreation and Culture team facilitate an Engagement and Master Planning renewal process for Latimer (Lake) Park.

Team: Mike Coulthard, Cammille Lefrançois, Cassandra Cummings at Diamond Head Consulting + Matthew Thomson at MTD

Matthew worked closely with the Green Infrastructure Implementation team at the COV to develop a series of illustrations to help convey (sorry) the system based designs they are currently developing for Vancouver’s integrated Stormwater Management Plan.

Capilano University Facilities- Campus Improvements Study.

Client: Local Government of Xi’an City, China

Project: Yong An Canal

Team:

Project Facilitator- Shane Chen of Artman Group + Shanghai and Guangzhou Studios

Lead Design- Matthew Thomson, MTD

Co-Design- Bei Jiang, PHD, UBC

Co-Design- Yong Xu Yu, Point Landscape Studio

Peer Review- Professor Patrick Mooney, UBC

Objective: To provide conceptual design of a new central canal for the planned financial, cultural and residential community district southwest of Xi’an centre.

3 key principles formed: Ecology, Water and Culture, and combined well with Bei Jiang’s PHD research with UBC’s Professor Mooney. This applied-research provided a tangible toolkit in Ecosystem Services that helped the design team chart the process towards the understood goals and objectives of both local and central government agencies.

‘Sponge City’ is a Central Government policy directive that requires new urban developments within China to employ design measures towards resiliency and adopt the latest integrated stormwater management and sustainability best practices to achieve this.

This ambitious project was no exception, with the canal system offering an engineered conveyance route for storm water that sheds across an increasingly urbanized impervious area, as well as a series of diversly rich and engaging urban/green spaces offering recreational, social, economic and ecological benefits along the length of the Canal.

At a regional scale, the site is located adjacent to the dramatic canyons and lush planted slopes of the Tien Lin mountains with a seemingly unlimited mountain-fed water supply. However, the water proposed for the Yong An Canal system, and associated irrigation needs, will rely primarily on captured site stormwater, stored and purified onsite through a series of natural and engineered systems with occasional seasonal draw from the adjacent river/canal systems.

As part of the Dialog team, Matthew helped facilitate a Community Engagement and Master Plan process for the waterfront area that enabled the neighbouring communities of Ladysmith and the Stz'uminus First Nation to co-create a shared vision for their waterfront.

Much of the waterfront site had suffered from post-industrial contamination. Through a series of hands-on workshops and community meetings ideas towards restoring the ecology, both within the land and sea were prioritized, as well as methods to foster the economic, cultural and social drivers of the this region.

The resulting plan landed strategies for an extensive environmental rehabilitation of the foreshore and Slack Point Park, as well as improving the commercial fishing dock and other marine based enterprises, expanding the significant opportunities for cultural facilities as well as designating appropriate sites for future potential residential and live-work development.

Lastly, a continuous publicly accessible promenade and park system was envisioned to extend along the entire foreshore, stitching together all the elements of this working waterfront.

With two young children imminently walking, the clients of this rugged and wild property on the East coast of Vancouver Island required help addressing the high rocky drop-offs at the edge of their property.

A suite of site-specific fencing strategies was created that utilized the benched topography, keeping most of the new structures below site lines, with the visible structures close to the dwelling detailed to match the existing cabin structure, as well as framing key views to the landscape beyond.

Lastly, the addition of a new perched deck strategically located at the the most hazardous point of the property, offers clear views through the transparent glass rail system, and provides a safe sheltered place to experience and enjoy the dramatic cliffs and views out over Nanoose Bay.

While at DIALOG, Matthew contributed Urban Design and Landscape Architecture to Park Place Plaza project and helped explore ideas that would integrate new restaurants, programmed event spaces and improved mid-block connections.

With the existing parkade membrane coming to the end of its life, along with the Client’s ambition to make 666 Burrard Street their new head office and main campus, the opportunity to enhance and re-activate this valuable public downtown outdoor space was apparent.

Integrated stormwater management strategies, as well as design consideration to the Church and Bill Reid Gallery were also key design drivers in this exercise.

Matthew collaborated with Nathan Lee of Contexture Design, on a Public Art Proposal for on-street art installations that would utilize the added bulge-outs created for the new bus stops on Lonsdale in North Vancouver.

Inspired by the log flumes, the first transportation infrastructure on the north shore, as well as the first, and last cattle drive, taking place in the late 1800’s between Lillooet and North Vancouver where it is reputed out of 200 head of cattle that set out south from Lillooet… only 2 cows survived to reach North Vancouver.

With support and funding from the City of Vancouver ‘Viva' Vancouver’ program and the local BIA, Erika Mashig, James Simon and Matthew (and numerous volunteers) designed and built a small Parklet in the South Vancouver/Fraser neighbourhood called ‘Hot Tubs’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHUnr7e3rNU

Erika Mashig and Matthew collaborated with Contexture Design and Fricia Construction and were the winning entry to the City of Surrey Parkit competition. Erika’s idea to theme the installation with the iconic folded card take out containers became the basis- ‘Take Out’. Using recycled post construction lumber and the pieces of the old sails from Canada Place we built a temporary popup installation that helped activate an area under the sky-train causeway for food trucks as a community food hub.

https://youtu.be/BRPtjDyj8Co

Matthew collaborated with Nathan Lee of Contexture Design on a Public Art piece at the Rocky Point Park overpass in Port Moody.

Knots is a kinetic sculpture, influenced by the on and off-shore winds, and is paired with its heavy concrete counterparts in the nearby storm-water channel, called ‘Creek Dwellers.’

Inspiration stems from the rich marine life and numerous creeks and watersheds that enter the adjacent bay, as well as a reference to the historic and present day industrial, commercial and recreational vessels navigating these waters.

Nate and his team at Pure Landscapes as well as the project engineer Paul Henry helped tremendously in their design and construction of the required foundation necessary to pull this off.

https://youtu.be/sN50vbLrHBQ

As part of the multidisciplinary DIALOG team, Matthew contributed Urban and Landscape Design as well as graphic facilitation to help create the Vision and Master Plan for the Arbutus Greenway.

Working closely with multiple city departments, public and stakeholder groups and city staff members, Matthew helped facilitate a process that explored numerous design concepts towards a final Greenway Master Plan.

Awarded the PIBC 2019 Planning Award for Excellence in Policy Planning.

While at DIALOG, Matthew worked with Mandy Yu and Kevin King and contributed both Urban and Landscape Design Concepts to the False Creek Flats Project. Working closely with a number of City of Vancouver departments, helping to facilitate workshop events and the design explorations towards creating the False Creek Flats Public Realm Guidelines for the Innovation Hub, the first of 7 acres of city owned land that will be developed as part of the larger Industrial False Creek Flats Area.

Matthew worked closely with Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh First Nations (MST) in a series of design workshops that Canada Lands Company and DIALOG implemented as part of the Rezoning process for the proposed Heather Lands Development.

Through a series of iterative design sessions, Matthew helped facilitate a graphic-rich process with multiple representatives from MST. This co-creative process enabled ideas to be shared and captured through quick sketches, and helped develop tangible cultural icons, references and teachings, that would be further developed and integrated within the proposed fabric of the future Heather Lands Community.

The Rezoning Plan led by DIALOG was awarded Planning Excellence by the Canadian Institute of Planners 2021 in the category of Planning for Reconciliation, as well as winning Gold in the City and Urban Areas Category from the Planning Institute of British Columbia.

While at PFS Matthew worked with Henriques Architects to explore early design concepts as part of the proposed renovated Oakridge Mall Development. With the proposed introduction of residential towers and improved and expanded mall, these studies sought to explore opportunities to incorporate a network of publicly accessible pedestrian shopping streets, plazas and rooftop park spaces.

While at PFS studio and in collaboration with Perkins Will and Public Architecture and Communication, Matthew helped create a series of design concepts that explored locating mixed-use development south of Fort McMurray’s downtown core and while fulfilling the opportunity to re-connect the downtown to the Clearwater River.

A linear park running the 4 mile portion of the river was envisioned with additional design proposals to provide safe access to the river and Snye year round by way of a multi-modal promenade.

A community centre, public plaza, public art, warming huts, pavilion structures and other programmed facilities were also located along this river edge park, with sustainability and resilient design principals being a constant consideration with the knowledge that whatever was proposed had to be designed and located to withstand the rivers extreme natural forces, such as seasonal flooding and powerful ice-jams that regularly occur along this stretch of converging rivers.

While at PFS, and as Project Landscape Architect, Matthew had the unique opportunity to work with the talented and eclectic staff at the Telus World of Science to develop the design for the outdoor science park and roof terrace.

Extensive Public and Stakeholder engagement helped the design team arrive at the preferred Park design, and although the science exhibits inside the park receive most of the attention from paying visitors, it was the perimeter boundary that received most of the design attention during the process. It was important to create a boundary that was secure and safe, but also provide an experience that was engaging for the passers-by. Integrated interpretive exhibits and a number of visual access points at key moments along the constructed park boundary were developed, with opportunities such as the viewing deck overlooking the wetland across to centre-stage, designed by Public Architecture, and also the Community Plaza at the north end of the science park where large gates open to invite passersby inside to participate in special events or exhibits.