c̓əsqənelə Elementary labyrinth: a walking pathway in Maple Ridge

Labyrinths have grown in popularity across Canada in recent years: as meditative spaces, as school grounds features, as public art in parks. This installation at the new c̓əsqənelə Elementary School in Maple Ridge is among the most detailed labyrinth projects we've completed.

The school is named in the Halq̔eméylem language of the Stó:lō peoples, reflecting the community's commitment to acknowledging the territory and culture the school stands within. The labyrinth is a meaningful addition to the grounds, a walking pathway that invites students to slow down and move through the design intentionally.

What the photograph shows

The lede photograph was taken from above, with the school grounds still under construction: a graded field and a chain-link backstop behind, lumber stacked on the gravel, the forest beyond. In the foreground the labyrinth fills a fresh black asphalt pad (concentric rings of orange StreetBond® line, each ring the same width as the next, turning back on themselves toward the centre) with a curved concrete bench at the top edge where the path begins. The asphalt is still glossy from the coating. The project record holds a second frame at ground level.

Labyrinth construction on asphalt

The challenge with an asphalt labyrinth is precision. The path lines have to be consistent in width and spacing across the entire diameter of the design: any drift in the geometry becomes visible as the eye follows the path inward. We work from CAD-referenced layout before the coating crew touches the surface.

For the c̓əsqənelə installation, we used StreetBond coatings to create the contrast between the path surface and the walking zones. The product gives us the ability to work with exact colour coordinates: important when the design has specific cultural context and the colours need to be considered rather than approximate.

The aggregate finish provides traction for running, jumping, and the general chaos of an elementary school recess, while keeping the surface comfortable for the intentional walking the labyrinth is designed for.

The system

Square One installs StreetBond under our decorative coatings service. The manufacturer's published facts: a water-based acrylic pavement coating for asphalt or concrete; more than 50 standard colours plus custom mixing; an anti-skid aggregate for wet surfaces; a UV-stable finish; and an 8+ year life cycle, refreshed rather than replaced: a labyrinth that dulls after years of recess is recoated along the same lines, not rebuilt. The StreetBond product page has the specification.

School grounds as public art

School grounds are one of the most underutilized canvases in a community. A labyrinth like this one becomes part of the daily experience of hundreds of students, staff, and families, a design that communicates something about the school's values without requiring a word.

We've installed labyrinths and decorative grounds features at schools across BC. The record holds a labyrinth at BC Children's Hospital in Vancouver in StreetBond, and the Eagle Mountain labyrinth in Abbotsford cut in DecoMark thermoplastic, both in the public art and schools and sports courts galleries.

For a school district or project architect

• Choose the material by the line. A labyrinth of continuous rings is a coating job; a design built from discrete shapes and symbols suits DecoMark. Both hold up to recess.
• Coat the pad before the grounds are finished. As the photograph shows, the labyrinth went in while the field was still being graded, which kept the crew and the coating away from the finished landscape.
• Give it a beginning. The bench at the entrance to the c̓əsqənelə labyrinth is what turns a pattern on the ground into a path people choose to walk.

For school districts or project architects specifying similar features, send a photo of the pad and a postal code to office@squareonepaving.com, call 604-612-6209, or use the contact form. We come out, look, and put a written quote together.