📓From the designer's desk: Inspiring water features
PLANT Architects Inc. has been working on the Mulock Park project since 2019 when the firm was selected to create the masterplan and guide the work for the transformation of the former private estate into a public hub for culture, recreation and connecting with nature.
In this post, PLANT shares some inspiration from the Designer's Desk on a key feature throughout the park – water
Water, in the form of ice, sculpted much of Ontario. Newmarket is situated on the northern edge of one of the province’s most significant landforms: the 160-km-long Oak Ridges Moraine, which stretches east from the Niagara Escarpment to the Peterborough region. The way that soil and boulders were deposited by advancing and retreating glaciers, shaping the local landscape, was a key inspiration for the water features designed by PLANT for the Town of Newmarket’s Mulock Park. All these features incorporate large boulders, and together they tell a site-wide story about the importance of preserving clean water supply. We’re sharing images taken in July, when water feature testing was conducted in advance of planting completion.
The ‘wet plaza’ at the Cedar Circle is tucked into a slope just north of the historic Mulock House. In summer, when jets of water spray within the plaza’s ring of boulders, it’s a play area for kids and a spot where adults can enjoy a cooling stroll. In winter, the plaza converts to an ice rink that provides access to a woodland skate trail.
The main entrance to Mulock Park is at the corner of Yonge Street and Mulock Drive. PLANT’s design transforms this naturally marshy portion of the site into an enhanced, water-cleansing wetland, accessed via a pedestrian bridge. Linked to and just east of this bridge is the Riverine feature: a block-long fountain with braided streams and shallow pools threading through naturalized planting. With shallow water splashing around its smooth stones, the Riverine invites visitors to take their shoes off and cool their feet on a hot day. Meanwhile, the sound of flowing water helps to create idyllic ambience in the area of the park closest to a main street.
A third water feature is a deeply carved boulder fountain at the centre of Mulock Park’s historic garden. This is a partial reconstruction of the renowned formal garden that existed when the site was a private estate owned by the Mulock Family, and includes heirloom peonies transplanted from that garden.
Throughout this 6.47-hectare public park, rain gardens and infiltration manage all stormwater and protect downstream water in the moraine.
In summer, the ‘wet plaza’ at Cedar Circle is a play area for kids and a spot where adults can enjoy a refreshing stroll. In winter, it converts to an ice rink that links to the woodland skate trail.📷Steven Evans Photography
The Riverine – shown here early in the planting process – is Mulock Park’s block-long fountain. Its boulders and meandering curves allude to the actions of advancing and retreating glaciers which created the Oak Ridges Moraine. 📷Steven Evans Photography 
Flowing water splashes around small, smooth stones in the Riverine, inviting park visitors on hot summer days to take their shoes off and cool their feet. 📷Steven Evans Photography
