Progressive, under Jim Laidlaw's leadership provided landscape architectural services for Currie Barracks. The central themes in Currie Barracks are the Second World War, the Korean War, and Currie Barracks' base history. The first phase involves the construction of two memorial parks—Valour Park and Victoria Cross Park, which are dedicated to the three branches of the military and to the Second World War Victoria Cross winners. The parks and boulevards also incorporate LID's, innovative stormwater control methods, including rain gardens as well as several military monuments. Jim designed and developed the Landscape Codes Document for Currie Barracks. The document promotes and describes ways to create a rich urban landscape using xeriscaping practices and rainwater reuse. Guidelines for several housing types, commercial retail, and institutional uses are also presented.
Most significantly, Currie Barracks has attained Stage 2 Gold Certification in Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design for Neighbourhood Design (LEED ND®) — the first of its kind in Canada. Currie Barracks also contains the most significant concentration of provincially designated historic buildings and landscapes in an urban centre in Alberta.
