EXPANSION What will a visitor experience look like in the future? By Lorraine Hunter
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HE TORONTO BOTANICAL Garden is a hidden gem, deeply beloved—but only to the people who know about it! All that’s about to change as the first phase of the expansion into Edwards Gardens gets underway. Enter Frontier, a communications and purpose design firm and partner to lead design firm PMA. “We do interpretive planning, talking to people and connecting the threads to help determine what a visitor’s experience will look like,” explains designer Jessica Leong. “And then we produce the right signage and way finding to enhance the experience. This might include plaques, special programs, landscapes, lighting and more.” To do this, Frontier has interviewed at least 30 people including staff, donors, city employees and more,” says designer Lisa Qin. “We have reviewed TBG documents and the Master Plan, looked at other gardens and city attractions.” What they have found is “a general sense of the importance of parks and green space, a passion for the TBG as a special place, a real sense of the importance of botanical gardens, conservation, education and public gardens as part of the community,” she said. “There is also a curiosity about the land and what happened there before.” Inclusivity is an important part of the TBG story. With no entry fee, the gardens are open to everyone. “The purpose of our design office is helping organizations express their purpose. That’s why we speak to as many people, or stakeholders, as possible,” says Paddy Harrington, who founded the business in 2014. “The more diversity involved the richer the experience you are going to get. Visibility is very important.”
been forgotten, wiped off and replaced by layers of other things. Our job there as at the TBG is revealing the layers.” One of the TBG’s big stories is the importance of water and the ravines which connect it to the rest of the city. And then there are many smaller stories, like the existence of the Milne family cemetery on the grounds or the importance of a Metasequoia (dawn redwood), a rare garden treasure, planted on a site chosen so that it would be bathed in sunlight on the morning of the birthday of the wife of the man who planted it. Members of the Frontier team tour The TBG is both a botanithe gardens and the ravine. cal garden and a Toronto destination. To see how There will also be Indigenous input other institutions have achieved the including tangible stories, signage balance between the two, the and educational programs based on Frontier team has looked at such Indigenous beliefs. places as Montreal and Atlanta The TBG has many stories to tell. Botanical Gardens and Toronto’s “There is the big story and also the Evergreen Brickworks, “a good example special richness of smaller stories,” of an attraction that balances the says Paddy. Updated, clear, cohesive importance of accessibility, programsignage will tell those. ming and community,” said Lisa. Frontier began as a more traditionAnd, of course, there will be special al communications firm “but then events providing educational opporbecause people kept asking about tunities, appealing to all ages and storytelling that aspect grew,” he opening the door to invite new partners says. Clients range from NBA basand new audiences. ketball teams to the National Arts In 10 years from now “we want Centre in Ottawa. They are current- people to say ‘The TBG is a must ly doing signage for the new City of see’,” concludes Jessica. Toronto Court House, “incorporating To learn more about Frontier go to artifacts and telling stories that have https://frontier.is
TORONTOBOTANICALGARDEN.CA
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FALL 2021
