Urban design awards

Urban Infill Low-Rise

Bayswater Townhomes – Award of Excellence

Located in the Hintonburg neighbourhood, Bayswater Townhomes are a strong example of the City’s newly permitted back-to-back, semi-detached dwellings. This development consists of a pair of townhomes, with two units facing Bayswater and two units facing the rear laneway. Entrances to the units facing the laneway are accessed through a shared pathway that runs between the two homes. The exterior finishes, lighting and colour palette reflect the historical character of the neighbourhood in a contemporary way. Large windows face the street and a patio on the third floor offers outdoor amenity space. Mature vegetation was also retained on the site.

Jury Comments

The Jury commended this project’s ability to achieve increased density without compromise to the streetscape or neighbourhood character. The proportions and design of the building were described as handsome and an example of good architecture and urban design. The building succeeds from both the street frontage and lane condition.

Project Team

Steve Clifford; Hobin Architecture
Barry Hobin; Hobin Architecture
Rheal Labelle; Hobin Architecture
William Ritcey; Hobin Architecture
Jennifer Adams; Hobin Architecture
Eileen Mlikan; Larchwood Urban Developments

Avondale – Award of Merit

Avondale is a detached home located on a corner lot at the intersection of Golden Avenue and Avondale Avenue in the Westboro neighbourhood. Outdoor living zones wrap around the corner of the home and a private courtyard features a beautiful space for outdoor dining. White stucco and light grey metal roofing continue around the entire house, punctuated by large windows and glass railings. The design of the building is elevated by the preservation of mature trees on the site.

Jury Comments

This project is celebrated for its careful treatment of the corner lot condition and its ability to resolve the challenging site conditions. The Jury appreciated that the development responds to both street frontages with care and delicacy and does not turn its back to the street on either side. Design elements such as the cutout with the picnic table contribute to a handsome, thoughtful project.

Project Team

Samantha Schneider; Christopher Simmonds Architect Inc.
Christopher Simmonds; Christopher Simmonds Architect Inc.
Andrew Levitan; Larco Homes

Public Places and Civic Spaces

Elgin Street Renewal & Boushey Square Transformation – Award of Merit

The transformation of Elgin Street and Boushey Square through its redesign and reconstruction is a celebrated street renewal project led by the City of Ottawa. The project renewed a 1.2km long mainstreet located in the heart of downtown. The original driver for the project was the need to update Elgin’s aging underground infrastructure. The City used this opportunity make street improvements including sidewalk widenings, creating four raised intersections, planting new trees, installing planters, adding public art, and creating a new public square.

Jury Comments

The Jury recognized the project as a precedent setting street renewal project in Ottawa and as a model for rediscovering how streets may be transformed beyond the engineering standards of the past. The focus on prioritizing people over cars and design for accessibility was commended. As one Juror reflected, “this is the future of our cities. […] This project emphasizes not only the importance of accessibility, but also people enjoying their city”.

Project Team

Carina Duclos; City of Ottawa
Danny Palermo; City of Ottawa
Tara Blasioli; City of Ottawa
Ronald Clarke; Parsons
Mike Keating; Parsons
David Leinster; The Planning Partnership

Pangishimo Park - Award of Merit

Pangishimo is the Algonquin Anishinaabe word for ‘sunset’ – its name and character relate to its location on the western point of Chaudière Island along the Ottawa River. The park is part of the Zibi development and was designed in tandem with its sister park, Mokaham or ‘sunrise’ Park, proposed on the eastern shore of the island. Pangishimo Park features a wide, accessible boardwalk with lounge seating, natural climbing structures, and native species plantings. The park is the result of a five-year collaborative design process with Algonquin community members, designers, and developers.

Jury Comments

The Jury appreciated the story and inspiration for the park design as it relates to the history and context of Chaudière Falls. The use of natural materials, an informal play structure and the architectural aesthetic of the park were commended in the Jury’s commentary. The importance of consultation and collaboration with the Algonquin nations was also recognized.

Project Team

Shannon Card; CSW Landscape Architects Ltd
Anne-Claude Schellenberg; CSW Landscape Architects Ltd
Patrick Gauvreau; CSW Landscape Architects Ltd

Urban Elements

Genius Loci – Award of Merit

Genius Loci is a public art installation located at the corner of Wellington Street West and Parkdale Avenue in the Hintonburg neighbourhood. The design playfully scatters ten bright orange letters that spell the word ‘Hintonburg’. The art was commissioned by the Wellington West Business Improvement Area with the goal of “transforming the corner from its previous haphazard state into a beautiful, usable public space for the community”.

Jury Comments

The Jury described Genius Loci as a “lovely, joyful, element of public art” that results in a major visual improvement to this street corner, as much as it may make it a little less easily navigated. The colourful installation was well liked by the Jury and it was noted that the project succeeds in all seasons, for example the bright orange contrasts beautifully with the snow in winter months.

Project Team

Colizza Bruni Architecture Inc
Studio Red Landscape Architecture Inc
Ottawa Community Housing
Wellington West BIA
Hintonburg Community Association

Community Initiatives

Threatened Rhinos of Bayswater – Award of Merit

Re-imagining shapeless patches of anti-graffiti paint on an underpass as running rhinoceroses, Threatened Rhinos of Bayswater is a bold and poignant piece of graffiti art, initiated and implemented by artist Christopher Griffin. Painted, removed, and repainted, the piece not only demonstrates the role a community member can play as a steward of public space, but also sheds light on the challenges and shortcomings of government regulation of the public realm. While maintenance of public assets is both necessary and needed, the piece highlights how regulation can also have the unintended consequence of stifling creativity, public expression, civic engagement, and beautification of otherwise dull and unwelcoming spaces. While controversial, Threatened Rhinos of Bayswater is the starting point of an uncomfortable conversation on a much broader and complex issue, which is often the catalyst needed to push urban design forward.

Jury Comments

Beautiful in its rawness and a deft use of anti-graffiti paint patches, the Jury supported the fun and inspiring nature of this installation and commended the artist on the care shown towards the beautification of the public realm. The parallels drawn between the continual removal of the art piece and the hunting of the Northern White Rhino to the point of near extinction are powerful. “Does it add to the public realm?”, one jury member pondered, “One-hundred per cent – it can be quite impactful.”

Project Team

Christopher Griffin; Christopher Griffin Art Studio Inc.

Student Projects

1770 Heatherington Road – Award of Merit

1770 Heatherington Road presents a conceptual design for the redevelopment of an empty parcel of land in the Heatherington neighbourhood. The project envisions an affordable housing development that is community-centred and provides a variety of amenities. Urban design features include a central public park, mixed-use buildings, a youth centre, a medical clinic, and a job centre.

Jury Comments

The Jury recognized the challenge of designing a project of this scale for a student and appreciated the intent of the design. Highlights of the proposal included the emphasis on mixed-use programming, focus on community services and sensitivity to the local community. The Jury appreciated the small vignettes and quality of graphic representation of the proposal.

Project Team

Marco Chow; University of Waterloo Architecture

Community Partnership Award

Strata of Belonging – Community Partnership Award

Strata of Belonging is a collection of five art installations, creating a sculpture trail along Elgin Street, which was implemented as a part of the Elgin Street Renewal Project. Through an exceptionally unique means of fostering civic engagement, the artist and their team solicited participation from over fifty members of the community to have their most playful expressions captured photographically and through casting. New technologies such as scanning, modeling and 3D printing were then used to transfer the most expressive cast expressions to bronze and aluminum sculptures. For the participants, being able to participate in the creation of a work of public art that they will be able interact with on a daily basis, strengthened their sense of belonging in the neighbourhood.

Jury Comments

Strata of Belonging is celebrated for its focus on public engagement and community partnership in achieving modern and contemporary public art. The outreach process was successful in connecting with the community in a fun and meaningful way and took a unique approach to getting people involved in the shaping of their built environment. The end product is quite literally the “embodiment of consultation”.

Project Team

Hannah Kingscote; City of Ottawa
Tara Blasioli; City of Ottawa
Francis Montillaud; Artist
Melissa Black; City of Ottawa

Special Jury Award of Merit

Ingenium Centre – Special Jury Award of Merit

Ingenium Centre is a purpose-built conservation facility, built to house 1.2 million cultural artifacts from three of Canada’s national museums. It offers state-of-the-art facilities for research, conservation, curation, and collaboration. The playful architecture of the building is arranged as two bars along a central spine, the north facade clad in blue soundwave patterns and the south accented by green, blue, and red fins, each representing a constituent Museum, which change colour based on the viewer’s angle of sight. The building is animated at grade with exhibition display cases and the pedestrian experience is punctuated by an entrance plaza, on which historic trains can be rolled into public view for cultural and educational events.

Jury Comments*

Ingenium Centre is selected as a winner of a Special Jury Award of merit, noting its unique civic function and distinct nature from all other submissions. The Jury recognized the Ingenium Centre as an accomplished building that creates a successful edge and contrast to the Science and Technology Museum. The public plaza, use of colour and response to the industrial context are notable.

* Due to a conflict of interest, Jury Member Donald Schmitt recused himself from reviewing and commenting on this submission.

Project Team

Duncan Higgins; Diamond Schmitt Architects
Donald Schmitt; Diamond Schmitt Architects
Peggy Theodore; Diamond Schmitt Architects
Maurizio Martignago; KWC Architects Inc
Nathalie Sanschagrin; DTAH