Sherbourne Common

This series captures the Sherbourne Common Pavilion along Toronto’s developing waterfront. The pavilion sits within a park bordering Lake Ontario, where a shallow, man-made stream flows beneath its structure, referencing the original waterway that once ran through the site. Designed through a collaboration between architects, landscape architects, artists, and civil engineers, the space centres on public interaction and a strong connection to water. I approached this shoot with an intentional lens, focusing on the pavilion’s relationship to Lake Ontario and the surrounding water features. It was important for me to capture people moving through the space in their everyday routines, whether walking, pausing, or passing through, highlighting the pavilion as it was designed to function: as a place for public engagement with water and the waterfront. Working as a Toronto-based architectural and landscape photographer, I’m drawn to spaces that blur the line between built and natural environments. Sherbourne Common is a clear example of this, where infrastructure, landscape, and public life intersect in a way that feels both purposeful and open. These images are part of my ongoing exploration of Blue Spaces in Toronto. Blue Spaces are natural or man-made areas with significant bodies of water. In urban planning and psychology, it has been studied that being near water can enhance mental health, reduce stress, and improve quality of life.