Bentway Staging Grounds is a new type of public infrastructure that blends art and education, public space and experimentation, repositioning unused space beneath the Gardiner Expressway as a site of environmental regeneration. The design team, led by architectural designer Tei Carpenter (Agency-Agency, NYC) and architect/artist Reza Nik (SHEEEP, Toronto), transformed the vacant site into a living laboratory that educates visitors about urban ecology and stormwater management.
© Samuel Engelking
The installation collects runoff water from the highway above and leverages it to irrigate oversized planters in the space below. The planters hold flowering native plant species such as milkweed, agastache, and yarrow. The water filtration and retention help to reduce the risk of local flooding and prevent contaminants from polluting Toronto’s gray water supply while growing an ecological environment.
© Samuel Engelking
Three large-scale scaffolding towers act as landscape buffers and new landmarks along Lake Shore Boulevard, showcasing a rotating program of public art that responds to the site’s unique conditions. A network of ramps and elevated walkways allow visitors to travel deep into the space as an extension of Canoe Landing Park to the north.
© Doublespace
The project restores the site’s historic, pre-industrial condition as a wetland on the shore of Lake Ontario that supported an ecosystem of freshwater plants and animals, birds, insects, and fish. It also reinvigorates the space, increasing safety for pedestrians and vehicles, enhancing visual and acoustic comfort, and building new connectivity to the nearby waterfront.
© Samuel Engelking
Lessons learned from the experimental gardens will inform both the future Bentway-led redevelopment of this site, as well as continued opportunities along the Gardiner corridor. These strategies could one day be applied to the full 6.5km length of the Gardiner Expressway’s elevated section.
© Doublespace
The project builds on the success of Bentway Phase 1 and underscores Bentway’s commitment to creating new public opportunities under the Gardiner Expressway. Through artistic, ecological, and recreational experiences, The Bentway is testing and demonstrating these opportunities in real-time, and demonstrating how both in Toronto and around the world, creativity can transform declining spaces and infrastructure into inspiring public assets.
Project Info
Architects: Agency-Agency, SHEEEP
Country: Canada, Toronto
Year: 2024
Photographs: Samuel Engelking, Doublespace, Mila Bright Zlatanovic
Design Team: Tei Carpenter, Reza Nik
Horticulture Consulting: Brother Nature
Graphic Design: Neil Donnelly Studio
Isabelle Laurent is a Built Projects Editor at Arch2O, recognized for her editorial insight and passion for contemporary architecture. She holds a Master’s in Architectural Theory from École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville. Before joining Arch2O in 2016, she worked in a Paris-based architectural office and taught as a faculty adjunct at the École Spéciale d’Architecture in Paris. Isabelle focuses on curating projects around sustainability, adaptive reuse, and urban resilience. With a background in design and communication, she brings clarity to complex ideas and plays a key role in shaping Arch2O’s editorial