Our Client’s Issue:

After sitting empty for several years and slipping into a state of despair, Waterloo’s first Catholic school, St. Louis Catholic School, a two-story building, has been turned into a Condominium building. The building was originally constructed in 1905 as a four-room schoolhouse, with additions added in 1923 and 1963.

Our Solution:

Some of the noteworthy features of the landscape design:

• Permeable pavers and infiltration swale with planting add both a component of beauty and help reduce the effects of erosion caused by excessive stormwater runoff.
• Screened courtyards for the first-floor units. The courtyard screening included various textures created by concrete and wood planters.
• Courtyard paving design with temporary bicycle storage for guests
• Street Trees and overall planting design that suits the architectural design of the building
• Plant and materials to be selected for low maintenance, durability, and high-quality appearance

• Existing Site Inventories and Analysis
  • Inventories of existing plants and trees, including location, size, etc.
  • Analysis of site conditions
    • Sun, shade, and wind patterns
    • Visual impacts within and off the subject property

• Design
  • Work with your potential clients to determine their wish lists, design preferences.
  • Created a beautiful landscape design to meet the client’s requirements and meets the requirements of the municipal urban design guidelines, zoning bylaws, and building codes
  • Coordinated with the project’s architect, civil engineer and electrical engineer to make sure all the drawings were well coordinated with no conflicts
  • Cost estimates

• Construction
  • Created detailed plans for the contractor to build from
  • Reviewed the construction to ensure the project was built to the requirements of the contract and city-approved drawings.
• Permits
  • This site development was under the “Site Plan Permit” process, which requires the developer to apply to the City for approval of their multi-residential project.
    • The process is designed to helps reduce conflicts, such as aesthetics, traffic, usage, etc., within the neighbourhood.