Prince Arthur's Landing

This redevelopment of the previously derelict waterfront of Thunder Bay included the construction of multiple buildings and accessory structures, as well as extensive landscaping, to provide a year-round destination recreation facility. The Spirit Garden Gathering Circle is one of the most dramatic elements of the new waterfront. The Water Garden Pavilion is the centrepiece of the redevelopment, housing both the systems to operate the adjacent skating rink/splash pad. The Baggage Building Arts Centre expands on the original railway baggage building with a new two-storey addition that matches the original building. The public art program for the waterfront includes Jiigew. Made of weathering steel, the two 21 metre tall beacons incorporate an LED lighting system that uses Morse Code to display Ojibway poetry. Building on what was once an industrial waterfront provided several challenges, significantly that most of the structures are located on land that used to be part of Lake Superior. For the significant building structures, drilled and grouted helical micropiles were employed to provide stable and economical foundations that traversed the unsuitable fill to bedrock, and did not disturb the City’s water supply.