Stephen: NL architecture student reimagines St. John’s harbour-front

The usage of the harbour-front of St. John’s has been debated for years now, with some advocating for a more pedestrian and tourist-friendly layout. One architecture student has brought those visions to fruition as part of her Masters degree at Dalhousie University. Cynthia Williams says she looked to nordic locales such as Bergen and Oslo in Norway and Nyhavn in Denmark for inspiration for her design, saying “they are all places with relatively similar climates that utilize their waterfront all year round even when the weather isn’t the best.” Many have drawn comparisons to waterfront property usage in St. John’s and Halifax, but Williams said that she was “careful to mention … how different tackling St John’s harbour front would be compared to a larger scale harbour like Halifax.”

Williams has reimagined Harbour Drive in downtown St. John’s as walkable area with many commercial and residential instalments, while still leaving room for the industrial business that St. John’s Harbour is currently used for. The section spanning from Ayre’s Cove to Beck’s Cove is designed with pedestrians and entertainment in mind, complete with four stages spread across the locale including a restaurant and drive-in theatre on top of the Bowering Building. Further down Harbour Drive, wellness and fitness centres, as well as markets and apartments, are situated around Clifts-Bairds Cove, with an area for cruise ship traffic to be accommodated. Closer to Job’s Cove is an industrial area with docking for vessels and a mariners quarters.

Williams says that her designs would integrate the Downtown Pedestrian Mall in the area around Bishop’s Cove and Ayre’s Cove and the re-imagined Atlantic Place, named Pier Place in her design, “has an open market on the main level that draws people in from Water Street with a balcony that extends out and down to the boardwalk of the towns pier.” Williams’ goal is to create spaces for all age groups within the downtown core.

“Hopefully it will create more people wanting to live within the downtown core, especially if there are amenities close by to support them and more people wanting to come visit, whether that be school field trips, family outings, local festivals and events or a group of friends.” She also hopes for it support the local economy by creating a new tourist destination.

“A place to really understand our heritage and sense of place. With opportunities to support local shops, bar, restaurants”. Williams also notes that tourism is a secondary element of the design. “The main focus is really creating a space for the community of St. John’s to appreciate and a place for visitors to come to help them feel what our community feels, a sense of pride and appreciate for our community, culture and heritage!”