AGA KHAN GARDEN NELSON BYRD WOLTZ LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS EDMONTON, ALBERTA^73
FULL CIRCLE An amphitheater behind the talar accommodates lectures,
performances, and breaks for lunch (above). A granite reflecting pool is a mirror for
the aspen parkland forest (top, right). Orange tensile structures bring life to the talar
at night (bottom, right).
evate the shared domain and make it more open.
The result is an elegant public forum where one can imagine—as
the garden’s sponsor, host institution, and designers hoped—that local
and global communities will gather in the presence of nature to
advance their mutual understanding. In the Koran, the garden is a
metaphor for paradise. n
Katharine Logan is an architectural designer and a writer focusing on design,
sustainability, and well-being.