Koo’s Courtyard

The concept was simple: create a highly functioning communal space to be shared by the residents of this urban infill site in Strathcona, Vancouver. The challenge was to create a sense of place in this long, linear site, measuring only 8.5’ wide. The existing landscape of this award-winning development was overgrown, fragmented and dysfunctional – none of the residents could recall ever using their private patios. The site was completely stripped and restructured. Features include an outdoor kitchen built from weathering steel, heavy-timber benches that stretch the length of the site, and galvanized steel rain barrels that provide irrigation water. This once-neglected back yard is now a vibrant, shared and well-used place.

Designer: The Hapa Collaborative
BCLNA Landscape Awards of Excellence Winner