Manmeet Singh Bhullar Park
Client | Parks Foundation Calgary
Status | Complete
Project Type | Memorial Park
Manmeet Singh Bhullar Park encompasses the celebration of life and the importance of community green space. Calgary born Bhullar was the first turbaned Sikh to hold a cabinet position in the provincial government, when he was appointed Service Alberta Minister in 2011.
The design of the park embodies unity, community gatherings, and landscape restoration. A new pathway better connects the adjacent residents and visitors to existing pathway networks. Five gentle curves complete the flow of the new pathway, and at each transition point, a monolithic steel archway frames the path that people travel. The five circular archways are symbols of unity and connectedness — something important to the Bhullar Family and the surrounding communities.
As visitors journey eastbound along the pathway of five rings, the fifth ring lies just shy of a prominent plaza, framing a space intended for reflection, memory and celebration of Bhullar’s life. The plaza design was inspired by Bhullar’s personal and religious beliefs of unity and equality. A circular gathering space, representing unity, is raised slightly above the paths that bring people to it. With Bhullar’s direct influence on making the Calgary Greenway a reality, the circle simultaneously symbolizes the beginning and end of the city’s largest pathway network.
Recognizing that times of reflection and remembrance are experienced differently for people, the design presents places to sit, such as long benches extending out of the walls; open space, for wandering or standing with a group; and a small cove, for meditation and self-reflection.
