Sherbourne Common, Public park in Toronto's waterfront district, Canada.
Sherbourne Common stretches across two city blocks from the waterfront to Lake Shore Boulevard with a 240-meter water channel and landscaped green spaces. The park combines open grass areas with paved sections designed so water flows visibly through the site.
The park emerged from transforming a former industrial area into green space starting in 2009 and opened in two phases between September 2010 and July 2011. This development was part of Toronto's larger waterfront renewal.
The three Light Showers, nine-metre sculptures by Jill Anholt, were cast off-site in reinforced fibreglass moulds filled with agila concrete. Treated stormwater from the Pavilion's basement plant is pushed up through them and falls into the 240-metre channel, so the artworks are the park's water outlets.
The park is easy to walk through with paved pathways and includes a skating rink in winter, drinking fountains, and washrooms throughout the year. Bicycles can be left at designated storage areas, and most sections are wheelchair accessible.
The treatment plant sits in the basement of the park's Pavilion, designed by Teeple Architects Inc. Purified water is pushed through the three 9-metre concrete Light Showers sculptures into the channel, and excess purified water is released into Lake Ontario.
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