2009 Awards

The annual Ottawa Architectural Conservation Awards recognize excellence in the preservation of the City’s architectural heritage. Submissions were received in the following categories: Restoration (returning a heritage resource to its original form, material and integrity); Adaptive Use (modification of a heritage resource to contemporary functional standards while retaining its heritage character); and Infill (an addition to a historic building, or all-new construction within a historic context). Certificates of merit are presented to projects and contributors deserving recognition in the three categories.

Certificate of Merit – Restoration
Rideau Hall Visitor Centre, 11 Rideau Gate

Ward 13 – Rideau-Rockcliffe – Councillor Jacques Legendre

This project involved the restoration of the exterior of this frame and log building at the entrance to Rideau Hall. The building encompasses remnants of an 1830s log structure that was upgraded in 1867 to accommodate a cottage for the gardener, and, in 1912, it became the “Superintendent’s House.” The building has gone through a variety of changes since that time and, in 1997, it became the Rideau Hall Visitor Reception Centre. Restoration work included reinstating the original cedar shingle roof, as well as restoring the wood siding and double-hung wood windows.

Receiving certificates:

Design & Construction Division
Real Estate Management, Design & Construction Branch
National Capital Commission

Official Residences Division
Environment Capital Lands & Parks Branch
National Capital Commission

Brian Hierlihy, OAA, MAPTI
PTAH Consultants Inc., Architects

Amor Construction

Certificate of Merit – Restoration
Windsor Arms Apartments, 150 Argyle Avenue

Ward 14 – Somerset – Councillor Diane Holmes

The upper brick and stone parapets of this 1930s Centretown apartment building were observed in a collapsed state on the roof of the Windsor Apartments by an observant member of LACAC during a tour of the Canadian Museum of Nature next door. The staggered brick and stone parapets were rebuilt using the remaining stone and brick to match the original.

Receiving certificates:

James Reid
Keystone Traditional Masonry Inc.

Sandy Smallwood
Andrex Holdings Ltd.

Certificate of Merit – Infill / Addition
Residence of the Ambassador of Egypt, 741 Acacia Avenue

Ward 13 – Rideau-Rockcliffe – Councillor Jacques Legendre

This diplomatic residence in Rockcliffe Park required extensive renovations to provide additional accommodations and meeting areas for large receptions. The appearance of the house from the street was maintained by inserting the addition behind the main façade and truncating the roof slopes to ensure they did not extend above the original roofline. The design of the new addition blends with the original building through the use of similar materials and forms, including the replication of roof details and stone trim.

Receiving certificates:

Robertson Martin Architects Inc.

Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt

GENIVAR

Josip Mamic, President
J & M Enterprises

James B. Lennox
James B. Lennox and Associates Inc.
Landscape Architects

Amin Amin Architect NWTAA

Certificate of Merit – Adaptive use
Supreme Court of Canada, East Entry and Courtroom

Ward 14 – Somerset – Councillor Diane Holmes

The Supreme Court of Canada has received recognition in the past for the careful consideration of its heritage fabric in the ongoing adaptation of the building to meet contemporary functional standards and needs. This year, separate submissions were received for two spaces in the Supreme Court.

The east entry project involved adapting the business entry to the Supreme Court. It required accommodating security control, two waiting areas, an accessible ramp and a barrier free washroom. The project is worthy of recognition because of the careful attention to detail in the use of materials such as the limestone for the floors and walls. The stone quarry used in the original building construction was re-opened for this project. Oil-rubbed handrails and stained, quarter-sawn white oak were used in keeping with the specifications of Ernest Cormier, the architect of the original building.

The courtroom project involved extensive interventions that were designed to be unobtrusive. The original desks were either modified or replicated in the same design and materials to incorporate hidden areas for laptop computers, screens and wiring. A central desk, at which lawyers and others give evidence, was redesigned on a hydraulic base to allow for presentations by someone standing, seated or in a wheelchair.

Receiving certificates:

Supreme Court – East Entry

Schoeler & Heaton Architects Inc.

Supreme Court of Canada

Alain Vermette
Public Works and Government Services Canada

Peter Chang
Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Ltd.

Supreme Court – Courtroom

Allan Teramura
Watson MacEwen Architects

Supreme Court of Canada

Public Works and Government Services Canada
National Capital Area Operations
Real Property Team 3

Mike Sirois
DW Product Development

Certificate of Merit – Adaptive Use
Koreana Restaurant, 711 Somerset Street West

Ward 14 – Somerset – Councillor Diane Holmes

This early 20th century commercial building on Somerset Street West was originally built to accommodate the Stitt Coal Company on the ground floor and residential apartments above. The building underwent a renovation last year that involved restoring original elements, such as the dentil decoration in the metal secondary cornice above the storefront and exposing decorative iron columns in the storefront that had been bricked over. New awning signs advertising the Koreana Restaurant have been carefully integrated into the façade. It is hoped that this project will encourage similar work along Somerset Street, capitalizing on the remaining commercial heritage fabric on the street.

Receiving certificates:

Tony K. Shahrasebi, President
TKS Holdings Inc.

Derek Crain Architect

Sang Kon Jo
Koreana Restaurant

Art Engineering

Peter Warren, P. Eng.
P.G. Warren Engineering Inc.

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