Ketcheson Neighbourhood Park

Ketcheson Neighbourhood Park is a community park in Richmond that transforms a previously undeveloped site within a growing residential neighbourhood into a layered landscape for gathering, movement, and everyday use. Located alongside the Concord Gardens development, the park forms part of a broader open space network that connects residents and the surrounding community.

Working with the project team, PWL led the park design, organizing the landscape as a series of interconnected “islands” inspired by the braided watercourses of the Fraser River Delta and principles of Feng Shui. Water is used as a unifying element, weaving through the park in reflecting pools, streams, and waterfalls that guide movement and create a continuous and immersive experience.

Constructed over an underground parking structure, the park required a highly coordinated approach to grading, soil depth, and planting. The design maximizes growing conditions and integrates landscape systems within these constraints, allowing for a rich and varied planting palette and a strong sense of continuity across the site.

The park supports a range of activities, with play areas, open lawns, fitness spaces, and dog areas distributed throughout the landscape. These spaces are arranged to create both active and quieter zones, balancing recreation with moments of pause. Water and planting define transitions between spaces, creating subtle thresholds that reduce the need for physical barriers while maintaining a strong sense of flow and connection.

Material and planting strategies reflect both the local river delta landscape and Richmond’s cultural context, including the use of flowering trees and elements that reference the five natural elements central to Feng Shui. Together, these strategies shape a cohesive park that supports daily life while expressing a strong sense of place.