Saigon Park is located at the southern edge of a large industrial and commercial area within the City of Mississauga and positioned in the headwaters of Cooksville Creek Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

Saigon Park following construction showing the scale of the Lake, wetland and recreational components. Due to the Park’s close proximity to Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, drone footage is not permitted at the Park. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

A rendered site plan highlights the five key recreational feature areas located around Saigon Lake including the Park Plaza, southern entrances, workout facilities, lookouts and covered seating. Photo Credit: Schollen & Company

The 2009 flood event resulted in significant damage to downstream homes and infrastructure, triggering the Saigon Park development with the goal of reducing downstream flooding, improving water quality and creating a social, recreational and cultural destination. Photo Credit: City of Mississauga

The new entrance to Saigon Park, named in honour of the Vietnamese-Canadian community who found refuge in Canada during the Fall of Saigon in April 1975. The dedication of the park to the local Vietnamese-Canadian community has led to the formation of the Saigon Park Working Group who aims to use the space to commemorate the history of the Vietnamese community in Canada. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

The Park Plaza provides a dramatic point of entry to the park. The plaza offers a large public art installation, shade structures and a range of seating options including those that are wheelchair accessible. A concrete inlay depicts the Cooksville Creek Watershed educating the public on the role the Park plays within the wider hydrologic system. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

The art piece incorporates lights that change colour depending on the barometric pressure of the day. The Lake’s water levels rise and fall in response to rainfall in the Watershed. Changes in barometric pressure forecast changes in the weather, making the art piece a predictor of future weather events and water level fluctuations in Lake Saigon. Photo Credit: Ferruccio Sardella

The art piece is composed of four steel panels, representing the four seasons and each contain four vertical columns representing the months within that season. Hieroglyphs are used to depict the weather conditions that occurred that month as well as corresponding moon cycles, average temperatures, precipitation and wind patterns. Photo Credit: Ferruccio Sardella

A one kilometer (0.6 mile) asphalt pathway encircles the Lake with markers provided every 100m (328ft). The trail is well-loved by park users for walking, jogging, rollerblading and cycling. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

Native plantings and wildflower mixes line the pathway providing food and shelter for wildlife. Throughout the growing season the landscape explodes into vibrant colour providing users a sense of time and place. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

Workout stations are provided along the pathway at key vantage points providing panoramic views across the Lake. Workout spaces are frequently busy with both individuals and exercise groups especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when indoor gyms were closed. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

A view looking south across the Lake following a large rain event. The Lake and wetland are designed to fill with runoff water and draw down to normal water level within 48 hours to accommodate the next storm event. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

A view looking east across forebay number one following a large rain event. Stormwater runoff enters the Lake through a 3.0m (10ft) high x 4.5m (15ft) wide storm sewer after being treated by two Oil and Grit Separator (OGS) units that work to remove large debris, oils and sediment. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

A view looking west over forebay number two on the north end of the park. Forebay’s are deeper pools located at the storm sewer outfalls to encourage sediment transported by the runoff to settle to the bottom before water enters the main cell of the Lake. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

A lookout protrudes into the main cell of the Lake allowing users to take in its scale. The 6m (20ft) deep Lake provides a vast horizontal plane that contributes to a quiet, peaceful environment where residents can find respite from the busyness of surrounding industrial and commercial areas. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

The wetland provides the final stage of stormwater treatment before outletting to Cooksville Creek. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

A view through native plantings to a terraced seating area that allows the public to venture down towards the water’s edge. In the future, mature trees will offer a shaded spaces for picnics and seating on the grassed terraces. Photo Credit: Aquafor Beech Limited

The art piece entitled ‘A Year in Weather’ depicts the weather patterns for the year 2009, the year in which severe rainfall events inundated the Cooksville Creek Watershed, causing widespread flooding and providing the catalyst for the development of Saigon Park. Photo Credit: Ferruccio Sardella