The Garden for Well-being: Building Community Pathways Within UM
Nestled between the Red River and Freedman Crescent, the Garden for Well-being will be a unique, accessible and inclusive landscape that nurtures community mental health and well-being on the Fort Garry Campus.
Safety, sustainability and accessibility
Designed to prioritize Indigenous Planning and Design Principles and community consultation, the site will be open to the UM community and the public and will connect to walking and cycling paths in the area.
The Garden for Well-being will provide opportunities for self-reflection, contemplation and connecting with the land, in a safe, accessible and sustainable space.
Community consultation
The Garden for Well-being is intended to serve the entire community. A cornerstone of the project is community consultation and involvement.
UM is working with landscape architects from ft3 and Indigenous environmental consultants Narratives on the design of the garden – a landscape that will be a pathway for contemplation and well-being.
Throughout the process many stakeholders have contributed to the vision of the space, including the Project Advisory Committee and Indigenous Stewardship Committee. Other groups have been and will be engaged as the project progresses. Additionally, the Garden for Well-being must align with the Visionary (re)Generation Master Plan, the UM Indigenous Planning and Design Principles, City of Winnipeg Accessibility Guidelines and the Accessibility for Manitobans Act.
An initial stakeholder consultation determined that an image of a bison should inform the design concept of the space. Two design proposals have been created and were shared in a community consultation for feedback on March 18 and 19.
Thank you for providing feedback
Thank you to those who provided feedback at the in-person community consultations and via the online feedback form.
Concept 1: Bison as a Keeper of Well-being was the preferred concept with some key recommendations such as more shade, vegetation, and seating along with further integrating habitat and biodiversity to support and strengthen the local ecosystem while considering future and similar spaces throughout the current and future campus.
Selected plantings should consider additional quantities and shade characteristics in addition to their specific ecological functions, synonymous with not only prairie upland species but also riparian species and forest stratas.
The recommendations also incorporate participant feedback to adopt less artificially or human constructed spaces and rather prioritize natural space in which humans can visit alongside fellow animals, insects, birds, and plants.
View final concept and renderings
Project priorities
The concepts of well-being and Reconciliation are integrated into the project right from the start and will be realized through all aspects of the design, build and maintenance phases.
The Garden for Well-being: Building Community Pathways Within UM project prioritizes:
- Indigenous leadership in project decisions,
- learning from the land, each other and self-reflection,
- working with the campus community from discovery and design to building, maintenance and sustainable development.
The Garden for Well-being project is the realization of a 2019 UM Success Through Wellness Grant. The initiative is led by the Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, Office of Sustainability, Strategic Communications, and Architectural & Engineering Services in close collaboration with the Indigenous Stewardship Committee. Other stakeholders include
- the Campus Planning Office,
- Disability Studies,
- Student Accessibility Services,
- UMSU,
- UMGSA,
- Indigenous Design and Planning Student Association,
- Faculty of Architecture,
- Department of Landscape Architecture,
- Indigenous Student Centre and
- Spiritual Care.
Timeline
Phase 1 Design and community consultation: May 2023 – July 2024 - complete
Phase 2 Tender ready design package: August 2024 – May 2025
Phase 3 Build: Anticipated 2025-2027
Project team
Indigenous Stewardship Committee
Vanessa Lillie, Director, Cultural Integration, Office of the Vice-President Indigenous
Nicki Ferland, Coordinator, Community Engaged Learning, Indigenous
Shirley Delorme Russell, Indigenous Librarian Intern, University of Manitoba Libraries
Carl Stone, Elder in Residence, Indigenous Student Centre
Project Team
Amy De Jaeger, Lead – Strategic Planning and Teaching Excellence, Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
Rebecca Brooks, Team Lead Programs, Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
Anatoliy Furda, Project Manager, Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
Andrea Bilash, Director, Strategic Communications
Heather Stark, Sustainability Projects Coordinator, Office of Sustainability
Vanessa Jukes Strutt, Project Manager, Architectural & Engineering Services
Kevin Handkamer, Campus Planner, Campus Planning Office
Vanessa Vermeulen, Planning Project Coordinator, Campus Planning Office
Contact us
Office of Sustainability
152 Physical Plant Building
89 Freedman Crescent
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus)
Winnipeg MB R3T 2N2