The Toronto Zoo is a significant Unilock milestone with it being our first commercial project. In 1966, the Metropolitan Toronto Zoological Society was formed with the objective of developing a new zoo for Toronto, Ontario. Johnson, Sustronk, Weinstein and Associates, landscape architects, planners and engineers, acted as key players in developing the land-use concept, and with the size of this project, the team expanded to include architects, R.J. Thom, Clifford & Lawrie, and Crang & Boake. The Master Plan for the Zoo was approved and construction began in 1970.
In 1973, only one year after Unilock introduced the first paving stone to North America, our UNI-Stone® pavers were installed – paving both indoor and outdoor walkways for guests to wander through the park in amazement of all that this world-class Zoo has to offer. As opposed to using poured-in-place concrete throughout the Zoo, UNI-Stone was a unique paving material that added dimension to the site’s design while still providing durability and high performance to support the frequent flow of high pedestrian traffic and maintain an enjoyable Zoo experience for visitors.
Today, UNI-Stone leaves its legacy at the Toronto Zoo with sections of the park still paved with the iconic stone – 50 years later.
