Strathcona School perforates tarmac to create Folly Forest
New greenspace brainchild of University of Manitoba architect
Students at Strathcona School are enjoying an award-winning greenspace, thanks to a savvy design from a Manitoba architect and some hard-earned fundraising dollars.
The students have seen a 50-year-old slab of asphalt be transformed into an ecological hub.
"It’s just been an amazing enticement to get kids outside," said Erin Hammond, a Grade 1 teacher at the school.
The concrete slab was transformed with the help of $80,000 the school fundraised and designs from University of Manitoba landscape architect Dietmar Straub.
Straub planned for the concrete to be perforated so trees and grass could poke through. He included recycled materials in his designs, making a place for the school’s children to learn and play.
"There are no gadgets and no special features," said Straub. "But these are exactly, I think, the environments that we are missing."
Hammond said the space has inspired a number of discussions about ecology among students.
"Kids are going, ‘How come that tree has more leaves than this one?’ Well, that one has more sun than this one," said Hammond.
The school has dubbed the new greenspace the Folly Forest, and it’s expected to grow for years.