Rideau Canal - Parks Canada

BaAM worked with Parks Canada and local stakeholder groups to complete the design development and content integration for four exhibits celebrating the 175th anniversary of the Rideau Canal, today one of Canada's most popular recreational waterways and a recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The exhibit sites included Fort Henry in Kingston, the Rideau Canal Museum in Smiths Falls, the Merrickville Blockhouse, and the Commissariat Building in Ottawa. Content and graphic design needed to establish an appropriate balance between institutional messaging and local history. Exhibits needed to be durable, self-sufficient, and flexible, for visitors would not be closely monitored, the exhibits would be exposed to a wide range of environmental conditions, and space within the exhibits needed to serve multiple functions. Exhibit design also needed to respect the heritage architecture of the sites, incorporating freestanding graphic panels and displays wherever possible. Final design documents produced by BaAM were used by Parks Canada to tender the package for fabrication and installation.