Queen’s Marque

One of Halifax’s most significant multi-use waterfront developments in recent decades, Queen’s Marque has placed great emphasis on quality public realm spaces to support the commercial, office, residential, and hotel uses within the building. Brackish was engaged by the Armour Group to design the Lower Water Street streetscape and bike lane along the entire building frontage, a public plaza at the north end of the building, a rooftop amenity terrace for the residences, and a rooftop patio for the speakeasy, BKS. Both the streetscape and plaza allude to the original harbour shoreline, deploying custom site furnishings to signify the ‘wrackline’ - the line of ocean debris that deposits on the shoreline as tides retreat. The wrackline becomes a place for people to slow down, pause, and rest in key areas around the building. Reclaimed cobblestones and large granite pieces from the original harbour seawall are used to create a timeless and regional aesthetic. Reclaimed granite blocks from the historic sea wall were re-deployed to build up soil volumes to define areas of native coastal planting and support mature plant growth in the plaza area, bringing an oasis of green to the waterfront.

Location
Halifax, NS

Client
The Armour Group

Team
McKay Lyons Sweetapple Architects
Studio Munge
Eastpoint Engineering
Bird Construction
Trim Landscaping

photography
Dimana Kolarova