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The Redevelopment of Ken Whillans Square and Garden Square

The Redevelopment of Ken Whillans Square and Garden Square
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The City of Brampton is excited to announce that Canadian architecture firm gh3*​, in partnership with landscape architecture company Mandaworks, has been selected to lead the transformative redevelopment of Ken Whillans Square and Garden Square.

gh3*’s proposal stood out for its cohesive and imaginative approach, deeply rooted in Brampton’s civic identity and community values. The design’s strong conceptual framework features a unified floral paving motif, beautifully reflecting Brampton’s “Flower City” legacy and artistically tying together both spaces. This winning vision thoughtfully integrates artistic and functional elements to create welcoming, unique and lively civic spaces.

Highlights of the​ Winning Proposal:

Seasonal Flexibility: Spaces are designed to easily adapt for both everyday enjoyment and major civic events. Layered landscape features, creative lighting strategies and diverse seating options ensure year-round comfort for all.

Unified Floral Motif: The floral-inspired paving unifies both squares and celebrates Brampton’s botanical heritage.

Dynamic Programming: Flexible layouts will allow for a wide range of activities and community events, supporting vibrant social and cultural life across all seasons.

The Shimmer Stage: A striking, permanent architectural feature, the Shimmer Stage combines a performance area, a digital screen and an overhead shade canopy. Acting as a visual landmark and civic anchor, it will support cultural expression, public gatherings and passive recreation throughout the year.


Winning Design Concept Video
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Meet the Participating Design Teams

The City of Brampton extends its since​re appreciation to​ all firms that submitted proposals, including, Hariri Pontarini Architects Team (Bloom – Design A), MVRDV Team (A Mosaic of a Thousand Flowers - Design B and RAW Design Inc. Team (Design C), for their creativity, time and contributions to reimagining these important civic spaces.​​​

Shortlisted Design Concepts

The following designs were submitted by the shortlisted teams and were considered by the City of Brampton.​

Design 1

Design A

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Design 2

Design B

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Design 3

Design C

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Design 4

Design D

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What's Next?

With the design concept now selected, construction on Ken Whillans Square is expected to begin this fall. Next steps for the Garden Square redevelopment will be determined as the City rolls out multiple downtown projects, with construction planned in stages to minimize impacts on the area and programming.

Throughout the process, the City will continue working alongside the community and provide regular updates to help residents and businesses remain informed and involved as the downtown transformation takes shape.

Thank you to the community for sharing your feedback and ideas throughout this process. Your input has been vital in shaping a vision that truly reflects Brampton’s character and aspirations.​​​

Communication and engagement with the public is a fundamental aspect of the Design Competition. Brampton residents will have the opportunity to express their thoughts and share their ideas for how they would like these spaces to be redeveloped.

The City will collaborate with the public and stakeholders at every stage of the design process, including the development of the final design vision, objectives, and concepts.

The opportunities for the community to get involved in the squares design process are:​

  • Community Engagement Part 1: Towards a Vision
  • ​Community Engagement Part 2: Exploring Design Concepts​

As part of the community engagement and visioning phase, community members were invited to participate in a conversation about the redevelopment of Ken Whillans and Garden Square. This exchange of ideas took place between September 12 and October 22 2024 and received a total of 250 responses from participants of various ages and backgrounds.

The community's insights were thoroughly analyzed and compiled to inform the vision, objectives, character, design, and programming of the squares.

Ken Whillans and Garden Squares Vision and Objectives

Vision

Ken Whillans Square

An open and captivating civic courtyard leading to City Hall, celebrating Brampton’s culture with connections to Gage Park, PAMA, and Downtown. It will host major events and foster civic pride.

Garden Square

Downtown Brampton’s vibrant cultural heart. Inspired by Brampton’s Flower City identity, the design will be sleek, minimal, and practical, supporting community life and artistic expression in a space that reflects local character and complements the Rose Theatre.

Design Objectives

The proposed designs for Ken Whillans and Garden Squares aim to achieve aesthetic cohesion, year-round functionality, and inclusivity through high-quality materials, accessible features, and strong connections to Brampton’s heritage and identity. Ken Whillans Square will serve as a formal civic space anchored by City Hall, while Garden Square will complement the Rose Theatre’s character with a vibrant, floral-inspired sleek design. Both spaces will support diverse events and celebrate Brampton’s multicultural community.

On May 27, 2025, Downtown Revitalization held an Open house to present all design concepts and an online survey to collect community feedback.

From May 22 to June 7, the public was invited to share input on the shortlisted submissions through an online survey. The city received more than 200 responses.

This input was summarized and served as one of the evaluation criteria.

Phase One: Request for Prequalification (RFPQ) (COMPLETED)

Phase 1 of the Request for Prequalification (RFPQ) has concluded with the evaluation completed. The City proudly received submissions from some of the most renowned local and international design firms globally.

The shortlisted design teams were notified and advanced to Phase 2 (RFP) of the design competition.

Phase Two: Request for Proposal (RFP):

In Phase Two of the design competition, shortlisted Bidders were invited to submit proposals for the redevelopment of Ken Whillans and Garden Squares, including conceptual designs.

The submitted design concepts are featured on this page for public viewing.

Competition Evaluation Team

The design competition will be evaluated by the Competition Evaluation Team. The Competition Evaluation Team includes architects and landscape architects who are credible and recognized in their fields, in addition to City staff members from the Downtown Revitalization team and Community Services.

The Competition Evaluation Team consists of:

External Evaluation Team Members: 
1. Eric Terricott - Architect, Partner at Urban Strategies, Brampton UDRP Chair 
2. Fadi Masoud - Landscape Architect, Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Landscape Research at UOT 
3. Khaldoon Ahmad - Urban Designer, Manager, Urban Design at Regional Municipality of Niagara, Brampton UDRP 
4. Jessica Hutcheon - ​Landscape Architect, Principal at Janet Rosenberg & Studio, Toronto DRP

Internal Evaluation Team Members: 
5. Dr. Dalia Bahy - Strategic Leader, Downtown Revitalization 
6. Jocelyn Johnston -Manager, Theatres, Performing Arts 
7. Anthony Obtinario - Manager, Downtown Revitalization
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Project Timeline

Item Status: Past

  • Community Engagement phase 2​

Item Status: Current

  • Design development

Item Status: Future

  • ​Undertake Detailed design and hire a construction team
  • Construction starts (Ken Whillans Square)

Item Status: Future

  • Construction complete (Ken Whillans Square)

Related Links

Contact Us

For ​more information on the Redev​elo​pment of Ken Whillans Square​ and Garden Square project or to provide comments, please contact the project lead ​​through email at:

Dalia Bahy, Ph.D., MCIP, RPP, OAA, LEED AP. BD+C
Strategic Leader
Downtown Re​vitalization

RKGSP@brampton.ca
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