Manitoba Children’s Museum Greenspace
Winnipeg, Manitoba
The Children’s Museum is ready to address its most urgent renewal initiative to improve its exterior: Resodding the anterior community gathering space — a generous, rolling lawn that fronts the building and first greets visitors.
Sadly, this well-loved and well-used greenspace is currently in a sorry state. From urban forests to tall grass prairie preserves, Manitobans pride themselves on their greenspaces. Well-kept lawns clean the air, trap carbon dioxide, reduce erosion from stormwater runoff, improve soil, decrease noise pollution, and reduce temperatures. They support social interaction, unite neighbourhoods, and strengthen the connections within and between communities.
Lawns bring a uniform, natural aesthetic to even the most densely packed cityscape, and the Children’s Museum’s expansive front yard is a key element greeting visitors on arrival — whether here for a family visit, school program, rental, travelling exhibition, or high-attendance signature event such as Mini Nuit Blanche, Halloween Howl, or Top Hats & Tiaras.
Properly maintaining the outdoor living space will also allow the Children’s Museum to protect a significant natural asset at the museum.
After carefully considering site consultations with its preferred lawn installation/maintenance professionals, the Children’s Museum arrived at this improvement project as being the most effective solution to assist Mother Nature, best restore its well-loved front greenspace, and deliver:
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- 5,750 sq. ft of quickly functional, instant lawn.
- A resilient grass variety proven to withstand Winnipeg’s harsh climate.
- Weed suppression.
- Better drainage and soil erosion prevention.
- Protection against pests.
- Reduced need for irrigation (versus the higher water requirement for seed).
- Improved turf and local environment.
The Children’s Museum anticipates that bringing new life to its front lawn will enhance the community by:
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- Contributing to the quality of “greenspace” / natural surrounding for children, caregivers, and others to engage with at the Children’s Museum and The Forks site.
- Providing picnic space, play space, and “free” space.
- Significantly increasing comfort in an area that already offers shade and grass.
- Delivering free outdoor programming space for current and new partners.
- Offering a cooler place for summer recreation (versus asphalt or concrete) and a soft surface that will act as a cushion to reduce potential injuries when in active use.