Previous Award Recipients

Award of Excellence: Urban Infill (Low Rise)

Bayswater

This lot was subdivided into three narrow floor plates that are interlocked, giving a more flexible and open layout to the three, three-storey townhomes built on it. Large glass windows on the front and back facades allow for natural light to carry throughout the entirety of the main level. Using the entire width of the lot, the front yard setbacks were maintained and allowed for landscaping creating a stunning street presence.

Although modern in design, the project does not compromise the traditional streetscape or harmony of the existing neighbourhood. The townhomes achieve this by remaining true to both the height and setbacks of neighbouring homes. The mature tree canopy was conserved throughout the project, which offers natural sun shading and provides privacy for residents.

Project Team:

• Christopher Simmonds; Christopher Simmonds Architect
• Daniel Dickie; Iris Custom Homes
• Doug Gray; D.B. Gray Engineering Inc.
• Jason Vriend; VRIEND Engineering

Award of Excellence: Urban Infill (Mid to High Rise)

Senate of Canada Building

One of the most important cultural and historic landmarks in Ottawa, the former train station has undergone a ten-year restoration and is now the interim home to the Senate of Canada.

The project defines a contemporary language of new volumes and insertions on the exterior, which are informed by the classical language of the original building. The new exterior east addition not only resolves a long incomplete and abandoned elevation but now provides a completed terminus to the view corridor along Mackenzie Drive.

The redefined forecourt now acts as both ceremonial and public entrance to the Senate and includes the relocated sculpture of the Famous Five, extending the civic presence of the building into the broader urban and social fabric of the City.

Project Team:

• Donald Schmitt; Diamond Schmitt Architects
• Martin Davidson; Diamond Schmitt Architects
• Ralph Wiesbrock; KWC Architects
• Jan Kubanek; ERA Architects
• Lisa Nicol; John G. Cooke & Associates
• John Hillier; DTAH
• Andrew Pratt; Crossey Engineering
• Duane Waite; Crossey Engineering
• Francois Roupinian; Light Emotion
• Mark Reid; PCL

Award of Excellence: Public Places and Civic Spaces; Award of Excellence: Urban Elements

Flora Footbridge

Flora Footbridge spans 125m over the Rideau Canal between Fifth Avenue and Clegg Street, bringing together the neighbourhoods of Old Ottawa East, the Glebe and Old Ottawa South.

The crossing is designed to be universally accessible, acting not only as a functional pathway, but also as a “place for people” that promotes social interaction and is safe for all.

The bridge profile is expressed as a clean white ”ribbon” within the setting, while a delicate, veil-like aluminum railing floats beyond the deck edge. An understated lighting scheme utilizes concealed LED fixtures in the handrail, as well as below deck accent lighting to illuminate the V-frames, providing pleasing reflections in the water by night. The landscape design exhibits a strong contemporary quality while respecting and supporting the iconic heritage setting.

Project Team:

• Mark Langridge, Architect; DTAH
• Peter Fletcher Smith, Landscape Architect; DTAH
• Michel Vachon, Lead Bridge Engineer; WSP
• Matt Julian, Project Bridge Engineer; WSP
• Pat Hill, Lead Civil Engineer; WSP
• Paul Boken, Lighting Designer; Mulvey & Banani Lighting Inc.
• Richard Moore; City of Ottawa
• Stephen Forestell; City of Ottawa
• Colin Simpson; City of Ottawa

Award of Excellence: Visions and Master plans

Capital Illumination Plan 2017 - 2027

The Capital Illumination Plan 2017-2027, is the first plan of its kind in Canada, outlining a strategy for illuminating and showcasing the nighttime landscape of the National Capital Region’s core area, comprised of the downtown sectors of the City of Ottawa and la Ville de Gatineau.

The Plan aims to enhance the natural and cultural character of the Capital while ensuring the highest standards of excellence in urban, landscape, and architectural design. The Plan supports these goals through a unique and innovative strategy addressing an emerging field at the intersection of urban planning, urban design, engineering, landscape architecture, and architecture.

Project Team:

• National Capital Commission; Long Range Planning and Transportation team led by Lucie Bureau
• Judith Balland; Lumipraxis stratègie lumière
• Jonathan Loschmann; WSP
• Gérald Lajeunesse
• Alain Guilhot Lumière

Award of Excellence: Community Initiatives; Award of Merit: Urban Elements; People’s Choice Award

The Gather-Ring

The Gather-Ring is a symbolic ‘Canada 150’ offering of cultural exchange, storytelling, discourse and contemplation.

It is firmly rooted and portaged on a base made from a metaphoric and mythic Mother Tree that is over 1000 years old. This red cedar base, with its burned-on-the-boards growth rings, contains and portages, as a metaphoric canoe, our inclusive collective history, memories, stories, and dreams. At its sapling center, a polished Canadian black granite circle, highly reflective of the activities above, simultaneously evokes even deeper time and history within its depth.

The Dream Catcher canopy pattern is derived by dividing the outer ring into 13 equal segments, symbolic of both the 13 cycles of Grandmother Moon, as well as Canada’s 13 provinces and territories. At night, subtle LED lighting is projected onto this swirling interplay with a sequence of dark-blue, red, yellow and white colours associated with the Cardinal Directions and symbolic of human diversity.

Project Team:

• Manuel A. Báez with Canadian Heritage, Art in the Capital Program; Manuel Báez Studio
• Charlynne Lafontaine; Loretta Studios and Gallery
• Elder Claudette Commanda; Kitigan Zibi Anishnaabeg First Nation
• Elder Verna McGregor; Kitigan Zibi Anishnaabeg First Nation
• Aniq Chaudhry, Josh Eckert, Sami Karimi, and Guillermo Bourget Morales; Project Team
• Tim Priddle; The WoodSource
• Martin Conboy; Martin Conboy Lighting Design
• Scott Funnell; WSP
• Jason Gibson; Gibson Timber-Frames
• Stephane C. Dugre; GoodFellow Inc.
• Goran Bjedov; Richie’s Welding

Award of Excellence: Student Projects

Power, Pulp, Paper and Print: Revealing the Industrial History of Hull Landing

A re-envisioned E.B. Eddy Mill Site that highlights the history of “making” through uses such as workshops, studios, maker and artist residences as well as showcasing artifacts and historical points of reference.

Materials, design and educational waypoints are proposed to reveal the lost industrial history of the site and landscaping reveals the lost history by utilizing native plantings, such as Alvar and Riparian environments.

In this vision, the site is transformed into an established residential and commercial space with a lively public real that allows visitors and residents to experience the character of the riverfront which was so important to the area historically.

Project Team:

• Madelaine Snelgrove; Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism, Carleton University

Special Jury Award of Excellence

Visitor Welcome Centre on Parliament Hill

The entrance to the Visitor Welcome Centre is carefully set into the Vaux Wall, one of the most significant and valued heritage landscape features on Parliament Hill. With sweeping arches at both the entrance and exit, the stones of the Wall gracefully reveal a recessed façade of ornamental woven metal; its form is consistent with the heritage landscape palette, interpreted through a contemporary aesthetic. A new steel exterior guardrail, reminiscent of Parliament Hill's cast-ironwork, tops the extended Vaux Wall and forms a series of interweaving double-helices inspired by Gothic geometries.

Once through the entrance arch, the area opens into a generous, welcoming, and light-filled subterranean space. Visitors descend through a choreographed procession of compressed and expansive spaces leading to a bright and spacious reception.

Project Team:

• Diane Phillips; IBI Group
• Heather Semple; IBI Group
• Carol Phillips; Moriyama & Teshima Architects
• Greg Woltman; Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Ltd.
• Frédérick Dionne; Pageau Morel et associés inc.

Award of Merit: Urban Infill (Low Rise)

The Core

The strong, simple and clear architecture of this new office building in Barrhaven presents a positive contemporary image from the neighbouring highway, establishing a gateway building at the entrance to a mixed-use area.

Project Team:

• Christopher Simmonds Architect, Architect
• Lashley & Associates, Landscape Architect
• Cleland Jardine Engineering Ltd.
• Tomlinson Group, Owner & General Contractor
• Ottawa Business Interiors, Furniture & Furniture Layout
• TAL – CO, Construction Managers

Award of Merit: Urban Infill (Low Rise)

Canada's Four Corners Rehabilitation

This challenging conservation project ensured that the local identity of the urban core of Ottawa was maintained by giving the City back one of its hidden landmarks. The completion of this project reintegrated the historic exterior with the pedestrian scale of Sparks Street; reinforcing the existing street wall with the removal of the overhead protection. The restoration of the 1916 storefront windows reinstates pedestrian interaction and views, adding to the lively and historical public realm context of Sparks Street.

Project Team:

• Cristina Ureche-Trifu, Robert Martin; Robertson Martin Architects
• Chris Vopni, John Cooke; John G. Cooke and Associates
• Craig Sims
• Trevor Gillingwater
• PTAH
• Stantec
• Ellis Don
• Atwill-Morin
• Heritage Grade
• Public Services and Procurement Canada

Award of Merit: Urban Infill (Mid to High Rise)

Ottawa Art Gallery Expansion

The new Ottawa Art Gallery (OAG) building creates a new civic and cultural destination for Ottawa and the region. The new gallery realizes a decade-long dream for a signature, stand-alone, state-of-the-art museum-standard space. For the first time in its history it is now visible in the city. The tight footprint and siting in the space between the heritage Ottawa Arts Court building, the University of Ottawa Black Box Theatre and the Le Germain Hotel/ArtHaus Condominiums tower inspired a vertical campus scheme, which in turn created previously unimagined opportunities for memorable and inspiring views and vistas of the downtown.

Project Team:

• Barry Padolsky Associates Inc.;
• KPMB Architects;
• Cleland Jardine Engineering Ltd.;
• Goodkey, Weedmark & Associates Ltd.;
• Gabriel MacKinnon; MCLD Inc.;
• Lashley + Associates;
• Delcan; Morrison Hershfield Ltd.;
• EBC Inc.;
• DevMcGill;
• Groupe Germain;
• Régis Côté et Associés;
• Pasquin St Jean et Associés;
• Dupras Ledoux Ingénieurs;
• Roche;
• Denis Massie, Architecte Paysagiste Inc.

Award of Merit: Urban Infill Mid-High Rise

University of Ottawa STEM Complex

Sitting as a landmark with “Les Yeux” facing the Rideau Canal, this complex stitches together the downtown campus public realm by defining a series of indoor and outdoor pedestrian routes.

Project Team:

• Safdar Abidi; Perkins and Will
• Andrew Frontini; Perkins and Will
• Matt Johnston; Perkins and Will
• Lashley & Associates
• PCL

Award of Merit: Public Places & Civic Spaces

Jim Tubman Chevrolet Sens Rink

This new open air, multipurpose community recreational facility includes a covered structure with angular full height chevron braces and a tapered reflective roof line intended to evoke images of skating on a fractured outdoor pond on a winter’s day. Its multi-coloured, dynamic lighting also signals the facility’s location within the wooded park at night, allowing it to best serve as a central gathering spot for park users.

Project Team:

• Keith Dickie; N45 Architecture Inc.
• Gerry Mallette; N45 Architecture Inc.
• Robert Matthews; N45 Architecture Inc.
• Neil Johnston; AAR
• Garry Vopni; AAR
• Marietta Rhuland; Ruhland & Associates Ltd.
• Rob Lefebvre; Goodkey, Weedmark & Associates Limited
• Richard Boivin; Goodkey, Weedmark & Associates Limited
• Sarah McLaughlin; Jp2g Consultants Inc.
• Roxanne Tubb; Jp2g Consultants Inc.

Award of Merit: Public Places & Civic Spaces

Rockcliffe Park Fieldhouse

Realized as a result of substantial community effort, this beautiful wood fieldhouse and sports pad has been happily received and extensively used by the community and the area schools. The building includes a small kitchen, bathrooms, an indoor gathering space, and indoor and outdoor seating.

Project Team:

• Jelle De Roeck; Linebox Studio
• Shawn Malhotra; Claridge Homes
• Lucien Haddad; NEUF Architects
• Louise Malhotra

Award of Merit: Visions and Master plans

Booth District Redevelopment

The master plan for the Booth Street District envisions a mixed-use space in the heart of the Preston/Carling neighbourhood that uses a vibrant and engaging public realm to create a distinct sense of place. With a fine-grained network of mid-block connections, walkways, and shared streets, the new public realm will tie together a unique mix of heritage and contemporary buildings. Booth District will establish a world-class model for developing heritage sites in creative new ways.

Project Team:

• Mary Jarvis; Canada Lands Company
• Craig Sklenar; Stantec
• Molly Smith; Stantec
• David Krajeafski; Stantec (Retired)
• Victoria Angel; ERA Architects Inc.

Award of Merit: Visions and Master plans

ByWard Market - Reclaiming City Streets for People

This proposal sets out a vision for the ByWard Market and seeks to understand the context of the ByWard Market as it exists today, where conflict occurs between the movement of people, cars and the needs of merchants, vendors and tourists. The master plan concludes with a series of renderings and design proposals for how to reclaim public space for people, create the mixed use density needed to add jobs, homes and commercial space and make a #betterbyward.

Project Team:

• Toon Dreessen; Architects DCA Inc.
• Lina Dreessen; Architects DCA Inc.

Award of Merit: Student Project

Black Box Theatre on Nepean Point

A proposed Black box theatre, amphitheatre, and park revitalization provide with new and unique ways to enjoy and experience Nepean point. The current condition of the existing outdoor theatre at the point has been deemed unsafe for use. The improved theatre program on the site will host an indoor 300-seat theatre with supporting facilities, an outdoor amphitheatre, and an open pavilion whose footprint speaks to the geology of Nepean Point.

Project Team:

• John Vieira; Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism, Carleton University
• Vedad Haghighi; Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism, Carleton University

Award of Merit: Student Project

Sesquicentennial Waves - Brewer Park Pool

Just like the ancient Roman baths, the vision for a new Brewer Park Pool facility is an elevated and playful civic space rooted in the principle of community engagement. The long span structure frames a vast shared area in which people come together to bathe, swim, dive, exercise, race, and play.

Project Team:

• Guillermo Bourget Morales; Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism, Carleton University
• Janine Debanne (Mentor); Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism, Carleton University

Award of Merit: Community Initiatives

Nanny Goat Hill Community Garden

Following soil risk management, this site was restored as the Nanny Goat Hill Community Garden, demonstrating that soils can be managed and repurposed for a community garden, and made accessible to differently abled people without removing existing trees.

Project Team:

• James Lennox; James B. Lennox & Associates
• Kevin Hicks; WOOD
• Denis Malouin; D&R Maintenance Solutions
• David Kiar; City of Ottawa, Environmental Remediation
• Joanne Moran; City of Ottawa
• Rick Hall; D&R Maintenance Solutions

Award of Excellence: Urban Infill, Low Rise (Civic)
National Arts Centre Rejuvenation

The Rejuvenation Project at 1 Elgin Street to transform and expand the National Arts Centre (NAC) sought to engage with the surroundings, enliven the streetscape and enhance the visibility and identity of the NAC. Three wings wrapping around the west, north and east sides of the complex express the rigorous hexagonal language of the existing building. Materially, the addition is a strong foil to the original. Where the Brutalist building is heavy and opaque, the new construction is light and transparent.

The new building opens its interior to the city, sharing its activity with the public. New interior spaces frame and enhance the views to Parliament Hill, the Chateau Laurier and the greenery of the Rideau Canal parkland. NAC patrons can now appreciate the building’s idyllic setting.

Project Team

• Diamond Schmitt Architects
• Fast + Epp
• ERA Architects
• Barry Padolsky Associates Inc.
• PCL Ottawa
• National Arts Centre; Project Owner / Developer

Jury Comments

The Rejuvenation offers a tremendous benefit of public façade and entrance on Elgin. The project animates the streetscape and the new façade adds transparency to the NAC that engages the public in a way that is sympathetic to the geometry to the old building. The quiet treatment is beautifully detailed but doesn’t overwhelm the site of national significance where town and crown meet. The Rejuvenation is successful in creating public and semi-formal venues for the city – and offers a successful interior public space.

Award of Excellence: Public Places and Civic Spaces
Bank of Canada Renewal

The transformation for Canada’s Central Bank provided an opportunity to augment the public realm around the bank, improving and animating landscape and public amenity at a significant location in the parliamentary district. This new landscape edge improves the perimeter streetscapes of Wellington, Kent and Sparks, and provides a new public gathering space at the corner of Bank and Wellington streets.

The design for the new landscaped plaza was inspired by Arthur Erickson’s own obsession with the Canadian landscape through a set of abstracted elements that integrate architecture and landscape to shape a new space as the foreground for Erickson’s mirrored towers. The three raked landforms integrate the museum entry and skylight, existing mechanical infrastructure and underground exiting requirements while providing casual amphitheatre seating and a sheltered microclimate for year-round use. Two vertical light towers create landmarks for the plaza while providing secure high-level ventilation. A gently-sloping plaza surface integrates with the corner of Bank and Wellington streets opening sight lines from the museum and plaza to the Parliament buildings. The new plaza is designed to frame the museum entry, provides staging for busloads of school children and tourists, and functions as an accessible, multi-faceted public realm throughout the year.

Project Team

• Andrew Frontini; Perkins+Will
• John Hillier; DTAH
• Tony Cook; PCL Constructors Canada 
• Bank of Canada; Project Owner / Developer

Jury Comments

The project adds a complex geometry of site and opens access to new space below; a new amenity space in downtown core. It incorporates a thoughtful treatment about what the space would look like in the evening.

Award of Excellence: Urban Elements
Urban Renewal of the North Perimeter Wall on Parliament Hill (Phase 3)

The North Perimeter Wall, defining the northern edge of the hilltop Parliament Hill site, is a historical landscape feature that acts as a separation between the public grounds and the wild landscape of the escarpment. The North Perimeter Wall was the last type of barrier constructed along the perimeter at the edge of the escarpment (former constructions included a wooden fence, shrub hedge, and a metal fence). The main design of the wall was likely part of the original Scott and Vaux landscape plan for Parliament Hill, however, the wall was only constructed during Thomas Fuller’s term as Chief Architect between 1886 and 1916.

While the existing masonry was beyond repair and had to be replaced with new compatible stone of a similar aesthetic, the ironwork and original wall footprint were preserved and existing health and safety and design deficiencies were addressed. The architects respected the original wall design while making the wall visible again and integrating new features to accent the hierarchy of spaces (ex. piers introduced at the lookout) and improve the visitor experience. Similarly, the custom layout of limestone pavers for the pedestrian walkway was designed to emphasize notable viewpoints and features along the wall (ex. shape of pavers doubled at the lookout). Existing landscape features were also incorporated in the new pathway design and given new life (ex. the Sundial and the Victoria Bell). This project has improved both design and safety features of the wall, enhancing the overall visitor experience of the northern grounds at Parliament Hill and the views that lay beyond the wall.

Project Team

• Robert Martin, Cristina Ureche-Trifu - Robertson Martin Architects
• John Mazzarello, Enzo DiChiara - Prestige Design and Construction
• Public Services and Procurement Canada – Project Owner/Developer
• John G. Cooke and Associates
• Craig Sims
• Trevor Gillingwater
• Groupe BC2
• McIntosh Perry
• Heritage Grade
• Smith and Barber

Jury Comments

A project of national significance that shows design doesn’t need to be avant-garde to express a pride of place for the Nation’s Capital. It uses a rich material palate that is distilled to a refined sense of public place. This project goes beyond urban elements and becomes a transformative public place, reinforcing one of the most important walks in the City, around parliament on the escarpment.

Award of Excellence: Student Projects
Inter-City Bus Terminal Redevelopment

This project proposes a redevelopment of the intercity bus station in Ottawa’s Centretown on its existing site within the Catherine Street Corridor. Immediately north of the prominent Highway-417, this area suffers from noise and air pollution, a lack of pedestrian-friendly streetscapes, vacant and deteriorating buildings, under-utilized properties, and little greenspace.

The student project proposes a sloping roof responds both to community access as well as contextual sensitivity, establishing a less imposing built form adjacent to the established low-rise residential communities. A linear public park is proposed on-site as a beneficial transition area between dense development and the established residential area. Transparent, open spaces define the most prominent programmes, with abundant glazing and high ceilings. Light filters into the building through a 3.5 storey skylight. The floor slabs are discernable through the façade, establishing exterior visible markers of the interplay of interior spaces. The cladding of the two towers establishes a parametric relationship based on proximity to the highway in an effort to control noise and air pollution. Additionally, vertical fins are strategically implemented for privacy and daylighting measures. As a notable feature and identifying landmark, the taller tower is crowned with a series of rotated floor plates, directing views towards the Parliament buildings.

Project Team

• Justin Spec
• McGill University
• School of Architecture

Jury Comments

This project takes a typically problematic program (i.e. what to do with a city transit hub) and elegantly weaves together a new program while also creating a vibrant streetscape and adding density to an area. It’s a model that other cities grapple with and could be applied beyond Ottawa.

Special Jury Prize for Tall Building Design Excellence
The Rideau at Lansdowne

The Lansdowne Redevelopment sought to reinvent its edge with a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly treatment that would extend the Bank Street commercial corridor while integrating a number of key elements in honour of the site’s past and protecting key sightlines into the site. The Rideau building at 1035 Bank Street is at a transition point between the extended Bank Street commercial sector to the north and the existing recreational corridor along the Rideau Canal to the south. It also forms an east-west buffer between the street and the sports stadium. As such, the project receives a number of different treatments to address its varied context.

In the case of the Bank Street frontage, a low-rise treatment of townhouses with a fine-scale massing of stone piers and accent panels is more compatible with the pedestrian-oriented corridor and residential neighbours across the street. Meanwhile, the tower floats above, set back and dressed in a lighter palette of glass and bright aluminum. Even the guardrail edge of the rooftop terrace at the third floor level is recessed, allowing the townhouse articulation to be expressed with a reduced height.

These measures contribute to a more effective separation of the tower element when viewed from the street level and from the recreational pathway to the south.

Project Team

• Barry J. Hobin, Marc Thivierge, Doug Van Den Ham, Rheal Labelle, Doug Brooks, Jeff Chaput, Alison Michelin, Leila Emmrys; Hobin Architecture Incorporated
• Minto Communities; Project Owner / Developer

Jury Comments

The typology of this project is done extremely well. The building pushes into the civic space well, particularly on the canal side of the project. The Jury felt that as a building type, this project exemplified a level of design and detailing which was an exemplar for other tall buildings to follow. The Jury noted the sophisticated detailing of its base, which juxtaposes noble materials such as smooth as well as rusticated lime stone as well as the articulated glass window wall system which culminates in the sculptural building top, which screens the mechanical systems while creating a visible skyline landmark.

Award of Merit: Urban Infill Mid-High Rise

James Michael Flaherty Building

The James Michael Flaherty Building at 90 Elgin Street is an office tower built on the original site of the National Gallery of Canada.

The building is organized in two volumes with a lower 8 storey pavilion fronting Elgin Street and a
17 storey tower behind that addresses the high?rise condition of the downtown core. The massing, expression and proportions integrate with both the urban condition on Confederation Boulevard and the higher built form of Ottawa's central business district.

Significantly, 90 Elgin Street follows the precepts of the Greber Plan by providing a symmetrical
composition for the termination of views along the MacKenzie King Bridge. In so doing, it anchors the
backdrop to a future National Monument on the MacKenzie King Bridge triangle at Elgin Street.

The main entrance on Elgin features a four?storey atrium lending itself to the display of public art.
The ground floor is purposefully designed to encourage active use and vitality at street level, integrating retail areas and designed to improve and enrich the urban experience for occupants and visitors.

Project Team

David McRobie, James Salem - David S. McRobie Architects Inc.
Martin Sparrow, Gerry Doering - DIALOG
James Lennox - James B. Lennox Landscape Architects
The Great West Life Assurance Company/Public Works and Government Services Canada - Project Developer/Owner

Jury Comments

MA: This is one of the few projects that engages two different scales and speeds of the city: the vehicular and the pedestrian one. It's axial composition responds in a simple but effective way to its location at the end of McKenzie King Bridge, which generates in return powerful perspective views as you enter the City of Ottawa. It's massing, composed of a lower eight storey pavilion and a seventeen-storey tower behind, not only maintains relevant urban alignments with the neighbouring buildings but also successfully enhances the human experience at street level.

CP: This podium and tower typology is executed in a manner that is particularly befitting of Ottawa's Parliamentary Precinct. The use of symmetry is appropriate as an axial termination of the MacKenzie King bridge. The scale, materiality and proportion of base are respectful to the surrounding building context. The glass tower is executed with a sense of solidity and the penthouse treatment gives the peak of the tower a sense of termination at twilight, a very considered use of glass. The project reinforces the character of the Precinct and acts as a bridge between its heritage neighbour to the south and contemporary neighbour to the north.

GS: This project speaks of a modern interpretation of federal architecture; symmetrically composed for gravitas while at the same time more animated and uplifting than its 20th century federal office neighbours. The building's symmetry takes advantage of its prominence related to McKenzie King Bridge; offering the potential for urban design connection between the downtown core and the neighbourhood and university campus at the east end of the Bridge.

Award of Merit: Urban Infill Mid-High Rise

The Vibe

One of the central notions behind the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park was the creation of an "urban village in which to live, work and play."

The Vibe consists of a commercial base and recessed nine-storey residential tower above. The master plan strives to capture the character of the surrounding neighbourhood which was a key element in the building's resolution.

The corner tower element is dressed in glass and metal fins. Projecting cubes, staggered balconies and windows provide uniqueness and identity for the building. The tower is set back from the base in order to respect the urban design guidelines for 'right to light' and continuity of building scale. Tiered planting beds soften the transition from public to private realm, and imply the sense of a front lawn. While the Vibe is not the only residential entity on the Lansdowne site, nor is it the tallest, it was seen as a key intervention in the skyline.

It contributes to the presence of the redeveloped Landsdowne Park while respecting the fabric of the neighbourhood and reinforcing a special area within the city.

Project Team

Barry J. Hobin, Doug Brooks, Marc Thivierge, Rheal Labelle, Doug van den Ham, Jeff Chaput - Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Inc.
Carmen Dragomir, Cassandra Richardson, Interior Designer - esQape design inc.
Mike Allen - Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Ltd.
André Drouin, Josephine Jordan - Smith + Andersen
Doublespace Photography
Minto Communities - Project Owner/Developer

Jury Comments

GW: The building marks a departure from one neighbourhood type to the retail/sports focus of Lansdowne Park. The two storey retail base is noteworthy.

CP: The Vibe drew a lot of discussion for its self conscious attempt to create activity in the body of the building itself. I found it unnecessary considering that the base could have benefitted from more care, variety, openness and public space. However the building is really the gateway building to Lansdowne Park and as such is a critical piece of the overall urban revitalization. Its merits are in its density and mixed use programme. Its secondary role as an entry beacon to the Park seems to temper and give value to the eclectic nature of the execution. It contributes to the destination character of the site.

GS: Setting aside the hyperactive articulation of this building, the overriding big moves in terms of massing and step backs create a strong presence; providing both a sensitively defined street wall and a distinctive gateway signature that marks a vibrant new development.

Award of Merit: Urban Infill Low Rise

Springfield Towns

Springfield is a collection of modern town homes in the Lindenlea neighbourhood in Ottawa. The three units share a consistent, simple, contemporary form and respect the massing, material and context of the neighbours. Parking at the back off the side street ensures an attractive front and pedestrian-friendly streetscape. Within walking distance there are restaurants, retails shops, boutiques, supermarkets, schools and parks.

Springfield makes a modern statement in the neighbourhood, the bright splashes of orange outlining some of the unique window shapes puts it in a 2015 vocabulary. Rising just above its neighbours, Springfield stands out while still respecting the street's average height. The Springfield Towns are LEED Gold Certified.

Project Team

Andrew Reeves, Jennifer Janzen - Linebox Studio Inc.
The Lake Partnership Inc. - Builder
ModBox Developments - Project Owner/Developer

Jury Comments

MA: The strength of this project is its ability to create an intimate yet friendly and open interfacing zone that mediates the private and public domain. This soft threshold is achieved simply and seamlessly through material differentiation as opposed to the usual more forceful signals such as fences, low wall or green edges.

GW: A good example of townhouses that add vitality to a neighbourhood while understanding the elements that make up the existing fabric.

CP: This project just felt 'right' on approach from foot. It nestled itself into a residential street and did all the right things to promote a healthy neighbourhood life, with small gardens on the street, parking tucked away and reinforcing neighbourhood vehicular patterns without sacrificing the privacy of the occupants. The project did use too many materials in the building execution, while this was distracting to me it did not hurt its merits. The project is a very good example of modest intensification. It has succeeded bringing contemporary architecture into a traditional street in a very complimentary not contrasting way.

GS:  This infill project brings a finely tuned sensitivity to its surrounding context, combined with thoughtfully crafted design moves. Careful attention paid to features such as front gardens, well-defined public/private transition and discrete parking all contribute to an engaging modern addition into a mature neighbourhood.

Award of Excellence: Urban Infill Low Rise

Sir John A. Macdonald Building

The former Bank of Montreal (a federally recognized heritage building) as well as an adjacent empty lot to the west has been transformed into a new facility for the House of Commons to house parliamentary functions. The design for the infill and renovation restored the somewhat dilapidated former bank to its original glory and filled in the adjacent empty lot with a contemporary insertion. The addition is deliberately separated from the heritage building by a glass-enclosed atrium that is set back from Wellington Street to ensure that the three-dimensional character of the existing building composition is visible. The lower level of the pavilion is pulled back to create a small forecourt area where the transition from the falling elevation of Wellington Street up to the main ground floor of the complex is elegantly handled through both stairs and a barrier free ramp. The need to accommodate loading off of Wellington, adjacent to the main entrance, has been skilfully addressed through a drive-in loading bay concealed behind a bronze clad wall.

The overall detailing and character of the addition is inspired by an analysis of the existing heritage bank, but reinterpreted in a complimentary but contemporary manner that creates both an appropriate relationship with the bank as well as the surrounding parliamentary context.

Project Team

David Clusiau - NORR Limited
Mark Thompson Brandt, Chris Warden - MTBA Associates Inc.
John G. Cooke, Grazyna Materna, Jonathan Dee - John Cooke & Associates Ltd.
Public Works and Government Services Canada - Project Owner/Developer

Jury Comments

MA: This is a timeless and beautifully quiet infill that successfully adds to the original Bank of Montreal through a play of mass and void. Its best qualities reside in some of the most essential aspects of architecture: elegant composition, choice of the perfect material palette and refined detailing.

CP: The Sir John A. Macdonald Building is an elegant addition to Wellington Street. It is a careful, distinctive, contemporary and contextual addition. The details are executed with care and dignity using heritage materials, stone and bronze, yet handled in a clearly contemporary way. The loading and barrier free access are cleverly handled. The building also has the potential to bring new life to the street and a new relationship to parliamentary functions by showcasing activity through the generous glazed connection and large picture window on the second floor. This appears to be a new opportunity and a rarity for the historically solid Federal buildings.

GS: This is assured and elegantly crafted urban infill; combining deference to and reinterpretation of the heritage building it is connected to. This is a strong example of how contemporary design can engage and enhance the Parliament Hill precinct.

Award of Merit: Public Places and Civic Spaces

Winston Square

Winston Square is the new outdoor living room of the Westboro community.

Located at the intersection of Winston Avenue at Richmond Road and dovetailed between the Royal Canadian Legion, the Dairy Queen and The Piggy Market, this previously dead-end street has been transformed into a new public place. The Square is defined by free-standing metal walls (clad in foliage) in shapes inspired by the outlines of existing houses and rooflines found along Winston Avenue. The new facades preserve the character and proportions of old Westboro homes while framing the new urban space that celebrates the community context.

Virginia creeper vines will line these walls in green in the summer and red in the autumn. In the winter, the galvanized frames and wire mesh will be exposed, accentuating the facades and the single strand of LED lights which trace the rooflines around the perimeter of the Square.

A whimsical chandelier, part of a City-led public art competition, will replace the existing cobra head light fixture in the fall.

Winston Square is a versatile and fun people place with abundant programming and entertainment potential for all ages, for all seasons.

Project Team

Kaja Cerveny, Kelly Wojnarski - Douglas & Ruhland Landscape Architects Ltd.
Rick Cunliffe - Cunliffe & Associates
Guy-Olivier Mauzeroll - R.J. McKee Engineering Ltd.
City of Ottawa - Project Owner/Developer

David Lewis, one of the visionaries of Winston Square

Jury Comments

GW:  A surprise in the urban fabric that adds connectivity and a sense of place.

MA: This project demonstrates the possibility of creating significant spaces at the scale of the neighbourhood out of a dead-end empty lot, a minimally built intervention and plantings. The most successful and creative aspect of this project is its architectural program: urban living room and a multi purpose space for yoga, dancing, concerts and painting.

CP: Winston Square was a strong example of transformation. The project did not read well in photographs, it was best understood by being there. This little space at the end of a residential street seems to support both the homes that dead end onto the space and the vibrant pedestrian scale commercial street. The urban moves were deft, seating at the edges of the space, screening devices that hide building utilities and services while creating opportunity to store outdoor furniture and act as a growing medium bringing green into the urban environment. We could imagine block parties, small street markets, or music, (someone had placed a piano in the space). The project transformed an unused interstitial space and the attention to create a 'living room' was achieved successfully.

GS: A left over in-between space has been turned into a sparkling example of "connective tissue" urban design; taking full advantage of a pedestrian desire path between a shopping street and the neighbourhood it serves. A high achieving multi-tasking square that goes beyond a pedestrian space to include an outdoor living room, public piano parlour and green oasis with a nod to local built form.

Award of Excellence: Public Places and Civic Spaces

Art of Rock Balance Sculpture

Located on the shores of the Ottawa River at Remic Rapids Park, the Rock Balance Sculptures provide a free participatory, exploratory art experience for the general public who can walk among the semi-abstract sculptures situated along the rock flats at river's edge. They are built in harmony with their spectacular natural setting and the site attracts Ottawa's citizens from many cultures, using it as a gathering place, drawn by its social and aesthetic presence and contemplative atmosphere.

The site is located on a well-used bike and pedestrian path along the Ottawa River. It includes a natural rock amphitheatre overlooking the shoreline with spectacular sunsets seen across the river.

Most of the sculptures echo human figures and their relationship to one another, while others resemble birds. They are built by hand, balanced and stabilized with small masonry shims, providing the public with a safe, artistic experience. The project's objectives are to promote environmental, aesthetic and social experiences in the natural landscape and enhance the 'green' beauty of the city for its citizens.

Public programming includes free improvisational workshops in the Art of Rock Balance, and a section of the site is allocated specifically for the public's rock sculpture creations.

The site has a tremendous historical value including the geological imprint which has numerous fossils. There is an obvious historic connection to indigenous peoples and the heritage of French explorers with remains from the portaging pathways. The Art of Rock Balance site also attracts numerous groups involved in acro-yoga, meditation, tai chi, environmental & health interests groups, and tourists from all over the world.

The property is supported and managed by the National Capital Commission.

Project Team

John Felice Ceprano - Artist
Isabelle Hughes, Michael Muir - National Capital Commission
Angelo Filoso - Italian Canadian Community Centre of the National Capital Region
Ottawa Rock Art Inc. - Project Owner/Developer

Jury Comments

MA: "If you build it, they will come". Although the shore of the Ottawa River (Remic Park) is a beautiful natural site, it is the addition of this poetic, cyclical and participative installation that transforms the space into a meaningful place for gathering. The changing rock art sculptures not only remind us of our own cyclical and ephemeral nature, but also create a powerful resonance with the city in the background, which is also a man-made construct.

CP: This project was my favourite submission and the site visit did not disappoint. This project marks place in such a meaningful way that it inspires use as a backdrop for civic activity, such as art performances, and inspires others that attempt their hand at rock balancing....creating true engagement with the site. The intervention is cyclical and temporal, measuring seasons, human activity and tides. It feels nothing short of spiritual.

GS:  This excellent submission transcends the tradition of urban design; with a concept that is profound, highly participatory and very much of its place. Although in the most natural and least urban setting of all of the projects this submission has an unique intrinsic relationship with the things that make Ottawa... the physical geography of river, shoreline and open space, the human built form of the city's skyline and the culture of communities past and present.

Award of Merit: Visions and Master Plans

Rideau/Arts Precinct Public Realm Plan

Ottawa's Rideau/Arts Precinct is an area of the downtown undergoing enormous change due to several coinciding projects, including Ottawa's Confederation Line construction, the revitalization of the Rideau Shopping Centre, the Ottawa Art Gallery and Arts Court Expansion, the Shaw Centre, continuous investment on the University of Ottawa campus, and ongoing residential and commercial development.

As a result, a unique opportunity to support this precinct with a comprehensive Public Realm Plan emerged.

The Rideau/Arts Precinct Public Realm Plan will guide the implementation of improvements to the public realm, with a particular focus on a revitalization of the streetscape of downtown Ottawa's premier shopping district of Rideau Street/The Rideau Centre. The public realm reflects a high quality urban streetscape consistent with the precinct's critical role as a zone of connectivity between some of Ottawa's most important destinations. Recommended improvements include prioritizing space for pedestrians, narrowing road widths where appropriate, extending bicycle facilities and safety for cyclists, significantly increasing tree planting, and ensuring effective bus operations.

Project Team

David Leinster - The Planning Partnership
Ron Clarke - Parsons Corporation
Ken Greenberg - Greenberg Consultants
City of Ottawa, Cadillac Fairview - Project Owner/Developer

Jury comments

CP: The master plan objectives to bring pedestrian linkages to the major anchors of the downtown is very commendable and very much needed. The canal itself presents an attraction but also a division between areas, the heavy vehicular focus is also a detraction. To enhance the pedestrian experience with narrower streets, wider sidewalks and bike lanes is a really positive measure and facilitating access particularly with the new traffic from the Convention Centre. The implementation of the master plan really seems to be taking advantage of new development and the LRT to redefine the city streetscape. It is difficult however to gauge the success of the plan with only parts constructed and some, while well meaning, could be improved including the bike lane to the University of Ottawa, which should have a physical divider. This was an important point to make in that we could not help but look at the Rideau/Arts Precinct Public Realm Plan without considering the uOttawa plan. The two are linked and their successes are mutually reliant, therefore the link to uOttawa should be seen as a more key element.

GS: The city precinct tackled by this submission includes some of downtown Ottawa's most vital links but least pedestrian/bike friendly environments. While more needs to be achieved the submission's urban design vision takes positive steps towards addressing the challenges, and along the way elevating the precinct to a higher quality setting for all users. As an extension of the above two other submissions in this year's programme draw attention to a particular part of the Plan; McKenzie King Bridge, which forms a key connector between the James Michael Flaherty Building (and downtown core) and the University of Ottawa campus. Serious effort is needed to ensure that the Bridge and Laurier Avenue East become continuous, high quality landscaped pedestrian/bike routes from campus to core.

Award of Merit: Visions and Master Plans

University of Ottawa Campus Master Plan

The University of Ottawa holds a prominent place nationally and internationally as one of Canada's leading universities. Located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, it is a key contributor to the City's economy, culture and quality of life. The University of Ottawa Campus Master Plan will guide the evolution of the campus by providing a framework for the development of buildings, open spaces and infrastructure to create an inviting and memorable campus.

By creating complete community hubs with a range of amenities and open spaces, the plan promotes a sense of attachment to the campus as a place not only to attend classes, but to stay and socialize, eat, sleep, study, attend a sporting event, or enjoy art and culture. The new University Square, slated for completion in fall 2015, will mark the heart of the campus and become iconic for its beauty and for the special events and daily social interaction that will occur there.

The core of the campus will become car-free, green, and pedestrian friendly, and will draw people in to enjoy the campus or to attend cultural events. A new campus cycling network will complement, complete, and be integrated with the City's network. The future uOttawa and Lees LRT stations will be embedded within the campus, and access to these stations will be improved for both the University population and the broader community.

The plan respects the character of surrounding residential neighbourhoods. As the main campus evolves, the relationship to Sandy Hill will be enhanced, with King Edward Avenue planned to become a vibrant, mixed-use street and the strong residential character of Henderson Avenue to be maintained.

Project Team

George Dark, Eric Turcotte, Tim Smith, Sirous Ghanbarzadeh, Inger Jenset, Julia Cziraky - Urban Strategies Inc.
Ron Jack, Kate Whitfield - Parsons Corporation
Université d'Ottawa | University of Ottawa - Project Owner/Developer

Jury comments

CP: Progressive cities are currently looking at urban campus master plans that take advantage of the town and gown synergies. The uOttawa plan is distinguished by giving character to the neighbourhood by reinforcing campus identity, protecting some of the campus defining spaces while allowing for mixed use synergies to infiltrate the campus. This has potential to create a healthy symbiotic relationship between the energy, population and demographic of the university and everything the city offers: service, culture and industries. This master plan could not be considered without the Arts Precinct Public Realm Plan and at this point in the execution it was difficult to discern the success with only parts completed. One area of question was the Taberet Lawn, it was unclear if the fences around the green were to remain which would inhibit flow at the same time we saw well executed pedestrian streets.

GS: The Master Plan for this campus works hard to enhance the University's built form/space identity, create a sustainable precinct and meaningfully integrate with the broader city context, while reconciling challenging site conditions. Given the progressive stature of the University and its proximity to the heart of the City further development of the Plan is encouraged to realise full potential. This includes establishing engaging, animated presence along the northwest edge of the campus, and taking full advantage of the vision embodied in the Rideau Centre/Arts Precinct Public Realm Plan.

Award of Excellence: Visions and Master Plans

Lansdowne Urban Park & Public Realm

The park is conceived of as a constellation of spaces from intimate to grand in scale, all prepared as flexible venues for everyday enjoyment by local residents and a diverse year-round programme of special events, returning the park to its rich continuum of exhibition, display, and recreation.

The park features an Event Square on axis with the Pavilion and addresses the centre of the park to Bank Street; the Aberdeen Square north of the Pavilion as a versatile urban square and for use by the Ottawa Farmer's Market; the East Court for smaller events and an adjunct outdoor space to the Pavilion, Civic Demonstration Gardens representing the gardens of Ottawa, the Heritage Orchard within the shuttle loop to feature heritage apple trees of the region and furnished with picnic tables; the refrigerated Skating Court to celebrate the park's winter months and converts to events like basketball in warmer months; the Children's Garden focused on the play needs of pre-teens with a small skateboard feature, colourful seating groups for social play, a 'great big green climbing piece', a chalk wall (concealing the park's mechanical facilities) and the Teaching Circle; the South Court which extends like a great porch from the Pavilion outward toward the lawn and canal, composed of densely planted islands filled with seating and spaces between serving as more intimate event venues; the Great Lawn providing the main greenspace of the park for the widest variety of uses from informal picnicking up to large scale performance events of up to 15,000 people; the Water Plaza flanking the lawns east side with a surrounding 100m length bench facing the sun and overlooking the lawn, with the artwork Uplift at its focus.

A network of pathways and public plazas creates a diverse park circulation system which also extends through the mixed use development to Bank Street, re-linking the neighbourhood with the canal. Pedestrian movement is prioritized, with automobiles treated as guests within the park and mixed use zones. Shared pathways and extensive bicycle parking extends throughout the site, and future water landings on the canal are also envisioned to diversify connections to the park.

A series of interpretive elements bring the story of the Algonquin People to the site. The paving pattern of the Square is inspired by an ash basketry pattern, a teaching circle in the Children's Garden incorporates seating in the colours of the medicine wheel and is surrounded by text representing the Seven Grandfather Teachings and seven associated trees, and ethnobotanical plantings are incorporated in the demonstrations gardens and in various planting palettes throughout the park.

The park is designed with universal accessibility measures embedded in all aspects of its design including clear travel paths, seating with backs, tactile wayfinding paving and multi-lingual signage including Anishinaabemowin and braille.

Project Team

Greg Smallenberg, Jeffrey Staates - PFS Studio
Julian Smith - Julian Smith Architects
Jill Anholt - Jill Anholt Studio
Larry Morrison - Stantec
City of Ottawa - Project Owner/Developer

Jury Comments

MA: Although Lansdowne Park encompasses a very large area, the planning strategies successfully create a series of intimate places that offer a great variety of usage and flow with ease from one to the other, through different scales and soft topographies.

CP: We moved this project from Civic Places to Master plans as it's reach and impact was greater than the place itself. This project has to be understood, the presentation did not do it full justice. The park is a comprehensive programmed park with good consideration of heritage buildings, natural systems, recreation, community gardens, ecology and spectacle. The treatment of the issue of event parking is very well handled. The park itself follows strong principles of reinforcing edges and creating pockets of intimacy that allow the park to have the potential to thrive when events are not occurring while creating interventions for large gatherings. Together with the surrounding intensification of the residential community, the revitalization of the stadium and the zoning that must have been reconsidered to revitalize this place, the Park seems as much a success in partnership as it is a success in consideration and execution.

GS: This submission is an excellent example of revitalizing development that balances social, cultural, environmental and economic sustainability. It fulfills the concept of "mixed use" in the truest meaning of the phrase; a vibrant blend of residential, retail/commercial, recreation/entertainment, civic and green space programme. A high quality pedestrian-first public realm is evident throughout; and built form scale and transition is particularly successful.

Award of Merit: Urban Elements

TD Place Stadium - The Veil

Drawing upon the concept of a 'stadium within a park', the extensive application of wood in the new South Grandstands serves not only as a reminder of the national capital's past as a logging and lumber town, but it also pays symbolic tribute to the canal that once played an important role in facilitating the Ottawa River timber trade and waterway for transporting commercial goods.

The stadium was envisaged as an exuberant entity that would integrate itself dynamically into the park rather than being a static monument in isolation from its immediate context. This is expressed with a public concourse that encircles the stadium, providing visitors with opportunities to flow through the stadium while still in the park.

The South Stands possesses an undulating skin - the 'veil' - that opens up at particular moments to allow for physical and visual connections between the stadium and the surrounding park, enabling visitors to exist in both places at once. The veil was envisioned to be fabricated from Alaskan yellow cedar right from the inception. The frames of the veil are designed rhythmically with protuberances allowing for peeled openings at various moments to frame exceptional views of the surrounding park and the canal.

The design of the TD Place Stadium drastically departs from the traditional notion that a stadium is an inert building and, instead, takes on a position that architecture is a temporal and dynamic event-based art in which people and built form intersect. The new South Stands were conceived of as emerging from the park, perhaps most evident in the veil, which serves not only as the stadium's signature element, but also as a beacon that draws in visitors from its surroundings. It promotes a strong sense of connection to its picturesque surroundings through the notions of transparency, porosity, accessibility, and new programming.

The idea was to create a new image that would enhance the history, identity, and vitality of Lansdowne Park alongside the canal, effectively transforming the former stadium in a parking lot to a true stadium in a park.

Project Team

Robert Fatovic, Yasmeen Bebal, Kevin Hinchey - CannonDesign Ltd.
Robert Claiborne, Project Designer, formerly with CannonDesign Ltd.
Guillermo Gabrielli - WSP Group
David Moses - Moses Structural Engineers
André Drouin, Dan Larson - Smith + Andersen
Brock Strapper; Bai, LLC - Audio Visual
Philippe Goulet; Pomerleau Inc. - Contractor
City of Ottawa, Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) - Project Owner/Developer

Jury Comments

MA: The wood screen structure of TD Place Stadium is another project that works successfully at both scales of the city: it creates an iconic structure as viewed from the car at high speed and a more refined filigree enclosure that allows the users views on the Rideau Canal. This is a skilled re-interpretation of the traditionally hermetic and field-centred stadium typology.

CP:  This project is an elegant and artful response to the problem of the muscular expression of a stadium and is particularly strong on the banks of the Rideau Canal. The Veil is poetic, delicate and appropriately fluid. This was a rich category of quality submissions and the success of The Veil actually displaced the 'Moving Surfaces' submission which was very commendable but formally had a very similar visual impact. TD Place Stadium was more impactful, nuanced and appropriately scaled to have a dialogue with the river.

GS:  This submission has achieved a daunting feat; transforming an austere stadium into an elegantly flowing veil, miming the seductive sweep of the nearby Rideau Canal. The design concept elevates a major civic amenity to graceful environmental sculpture, all the while accommodating the demands of a large assembly facility. A signature design fitting to the revitalization of one of the prime sites in Ottawa.

Award of Excellence: Urban Elements

Blanding's Turtles of the South March Highlands

The concept for this winning public art proposal was to highlight the endangered Blanding?s turtles which exist just next door to the Beaverbrook Library in the South March Highlands. In 2013 a conservation study was completed where it was determined that there existed a survivable population of Blanding?s turtles highlighting two objectives, to improve local and global knowledge and raise public awareness.

Every turtle shell is comprised of 13 plates. The Algonquin believe that each plate represents one moon in a full moon year. 13 concrete turtle sculptures were installed parading into the Library and Mlacak Centre entrance. The Algonquin name for each moon/month is inscribed into the back of each turtle. The grand mural backdrop on the library wall behind also consists of 13 turtles amidst the natural environment of the South March.

The artist's other objective was to create something fun and interactive for the kids and adults who frequent the public library and adjacent recreation centre. According to the librarian and custodial staff, the turtles are continually ?crawling with kids?. It is the rare child who enters the Library without at least touching, petting, climbing onto or otherwise engaging with the sculptures, both on their way into the library or on their way out. The local high school kids have their favourite turtle on which to perch and eat their lunch.

Volunteers were needed to create these 13 sculptures. 48 local individuals donated their time to help apply concrete to the turtles. It is their hand prints and human touch that will always be visible on the final sculptures. There is a greater sense of ownership and community because of this engagement.

The mural and sculptures complement each other. The sculptures are larger than life yet at a human scale to be approachable and accessible. Together these two elements combine to create a unique and educational environment, a surprising and fresh experience - even magical - and a dramatic addition to the urban landscape

Project Team

Christopher Griffin - Christopher Griffin Art Studio Inc.
Emmanuelle van Rutten - Moriyama & Teshima Architects
Bill Riseborough - Constructive Behaviour
Ottawa Public Library, City of Ottawa - Project Owner/Developer

Jury Comments

MA: This installation is very rich in its ability to operate at many different levels. It is, at its most simple expression, a wonderfully lucid and unusual encounter as you enter the library. The turtles marching in line ignite the most curious scenarios in the children's minds. As an artwork, its material and tactile qualities are remarkable. And finally, and not least, the installation does raise public awareness about our first nation's culture and the numerous threats to our natural environment.

CP: This playful yet robust installation was really delightful. The project did everything that public art has the potential to do, invite curiosity, tell stories and create new experiences. The two pieces, visual and sculptural, are in strong dialogue with consistent materiality speaking to the potential and malleability of an artists' medium. In the context of a library with a strong community visitor ship, this family friendly installation is very strong.

GS: A delightful installation that eloquently speaks to the plight of an endangered species while nurturing reflection and curiosity in all ages. The design skilfully works on so many levels... a parade of turtles artfully draws people towards the library's entrance and offers enticing places to sit and read; while the etched mural provides an elegantly simple background story. The design never descends into cartoonish parody, which makes the concept all the more compelling.

Award of Merit: Student Projects

Milieu

Milieu is a social and data driven software application that democratizes city planning and development. Milieu expands opportunities for public engagement, and fosters urban transformation that will help tackle the challenges that cities face by producing better urban and architectural products.

When wandering through the city, abandoned spaces under development are everywhere. Highly prized and diminishing fast, the possibility to design and construct innovative solutions that respond to what a city needs remains. As cities change against the backdrop of increasing urbanization, the explosion of open data and information communication technologies (ICT), development and planning processes are steps behind.

Can these spaces be more than something we see and pass daily? Is there a way that people can contribute to the development and planning process and consequently, the design and construction of the city tomorrow?

The challenge is to create new ICT platforms for open data, and to connect and enable public participation in urban development and planning. This involves creating conditions of transparency, predictability, and accountability by deploying tools that inform, engage, and empower people to be part of the conversation.

Project Team

Lee-Michael Pronko, Thaly Crespin, Luisa Lu Yao Ji, Ema Graci - Carleton University

Jury Comments

MA: This project represents all we should expect from the next generation: the ability to expand the field of architecture and exploit the endless power of digital platforms to create new ways for large scale participation. This particular proposal is a refreshing reminder that we build cities for people and that their voices are important in making our work as architects and planners meaningful.

CP: In the context of Urban Design Awards, this project was inventive and really realizable. Showing how community involvement, community feedback and needs and a creative culture could take responsibility for shaping cities.

Award of Excellence: Student Project

6 Homes for Canadians

Although the popularity of the suburb has remained, recent design projects have taken a more inventive approach with infill housing, laneway housing, and low rise apartments in place of a singular dwelling. Dissecting a block within Ottawa's Alta Vista neighbourhood, the housing patterns from CMHC's 1948 publication 67 Homes for Canadians' reveals an outdated vision for the Canadian family.

The new '6 Homes for Canadians' creates an inner block laneway that showcases the six different households represented in the 2011 Canadian Census. Physically the houses are raised and connected to respond to the struggle with Canadian weather and represent the community relationships founded within the suburb sixty years before.

Project Team

Desirae Cronsberry - Carleton University

Jury Comments

MA: This analysis is very interesting and rigorous. Its historical depth and pragmatic approach convincingly proposes new theoretical housing models based on multiple parameters such as demographics and energy consumption. It also raises the question of the ability of architects to solve alone this type of multi-facetted problem and demonstrates the necessity for multidisciplinary research and project in the field of housing.

CP: This student presented a thorough project, pushing research and imagination with a strong sense of presentation. The project proposed an alternative to suburban sprawl to address the aspiration of owning and building your own home. The project begins with a critical position, progresses by reassessing the current demographic need and proposing simple typologies that could be customizable and made site specific in infill manner. The project proposes options while drawing critical attention to both suburban development and condominium culture. The project was excellent in its rigour, it displayed research and referenced historic precedent and committed clever and appropriate graphics. The presentation was evocative of a generic everyman owner's manual or poster that also had a 50's nostalgia calling attention to the project's suburban critique.

GS:  This submission outlines a fresh and provocative take on providing homes that are relevant to the current dynamics of Canadian families and cities. While on one hand at the strategic level it rethinks and replaces old assumptions, it counterbalances grand vision with on the ground testing within real Ottawa context. It deftly considers both personal and community aspects; with balanced attention to social, cultural, environmental and economic considerations.

Award of Excellence: Urban Elements

Rideau Canal Skateway Chalets

The Rideau Canal Skateway Chalets by the National Capital Commission animate the winter season for the people of Ottawa, and present Canadian people and international visitors with the opportunity to experience a remarkable celebration of winter in the heart of the City. The arched, open web steel structure is inspired by several Victorian-era bridges, which span the Rideau Canal, as well as the boats that ply the waterway, and the images of skate blades and sled runners.

Jury's comments:

AN: "A cohesive and elegant series of structures, which leverage and enhance one of the city's key assets – the Rideau Canal. Feels like an intuitive addition to support one of Ottawa's most famous rituals."

PF: "The form of the urban pavilion is clearly laid out and the tectonic solution is intelligent. Somewhat in the style of architect Jean Prouvé, this pavilion offers a successful integration between program, structure and form. The result is a figure that will probably become an icon on the canal."

GG: "It's a wonderful concept. An architecture that creates a sense if place in a temporary condition. It brings warmth to its environment and it's expandable as a concept or a system."

Project Team

Anthony Leaning, Richard Gurnham – CSV Architects
Scott Funnell – Halsall Associates
Gordon King – Gordon King Photography
Tom Laverty – National Capital Commission - Project Owner/Developer

Award of Excellence: Urban Infill (low-rise)

Hintonburg Six, 121a/121b/123/129b Armstrong Street and 95 Pinhey Street

Hintonburg Six is four detached buildings and one semi-detached building that replaces a former single dwelling and garage, which occupied the 600 m2 lot. Each home is approximately 100 m2 and is built on a 100 m2 lot. The landscaping at the street softens the interface of the buildings and sidewalk. Building and landscape materials reference the industrial heritage of the area. The car is comfortably located in the overall composition; it is accommodated but not overbearing. The walking experience is animated by the 'stuff' of everyday living seen through the expansive windows, furniture, plants, artwork and people.

Jury's comments:

AN: "A fresh and progressive development that suggests a new typology for housing near the city centre."

PF: "Quite a radical proposal that is built around the empty spaces, around the "in-betweens". The result is a typology oriented around the combination, the assembly, finally proposing a successful composition. The clarity of the parti contributes to the success of the whole, to the patient search for a balance between solids and voids, between light and dark, bottom and top. A serious work."

GG: "It's clear and straightforward, non preset tips in its intent. Great homes, nice spaces and a thoughtful composition if massing that fits , while advancing the language of the City."

Project Team

James Colizza, Anthony Bruni, Nic De Socio – Colizza Bruni Architecture Inc.

Award of Merit: Urban Infill (low-rise)

Zen Barn, 148 Ivy Crescent

Since the area sees a lot of foot traffic- it was important that Zen Barn be a project that would be appreciated and enjoyed by passersby. The overall size of the home and its placement on the narrow lot were carefully considered so as not to overwhelm the streetscape. The home respects the scale of the surrounding early 20th century homes. While definitely modern in design, the use of the reclaimed white oak on the home's exterior, the recessed carport and the landscaped green space at the front and side courtyard ensures this environmentally friendly home both complements and enlivens the surrounding neighbourhood. The landscape design implements various water conservation techniques. All new plants are drought tolerant and no conventional sod was used. The pavers used are permeable allowing unfettered natural water cycles and providing a natural water supply to plants. The home received LEED for Homes Platinum certification.

Jury's comments:

AN: "An elegant and thoughtful contemporary building that is harmonious in massing and detail with the existing street frontage. The composition of the interior courtyard is particularly impressive - animating the street through the living space, framed on both sides by floor to ceiling glass."

PF: "A fresh and intelligent composition that enriches the public domain. Both unveiled and veiled, this building cleverly plays with a series of extrusions and subtractions, and seems to provide a link between the interior and exterior of great richness from the interior courtyard, the front porch and the rooftop terrace. The staging from the street is particularly well-done and the scale of the whole and the details demonstrates a great mastery of the work."

GG: "It's an elegant yet humble architecture. It's approachable as a home and at a scale that acknowledged the neighborhood . I like the literal transparency that engaged the street. It's brave:not afraid of it's context."

Project Team

Christopher Simmonds, Rick Shean – Christopher Simmonds Architect Inc.
Roy Nandram – RND Construction
David Walker – Genivar
Mark Filoso – Alpha Energy Systems
Denis Groulx – Green Tech Insulation
Richard Groulx – RNS Masters
Neil Fitzpatrick – ALC/UCC Contractors (landscape)
Phil and Tom Priddle – The Wood Source
Brian Vlaming, Jon Frolander – LTR Industries
Vivien Frenkel and David Moher – Project Owner/Developer

Award of Merit: Urban Infill (mid- to high-rise)

360 Lofts Condominium, 360 Cumberland Avenue

360 Lofts Condominium, located on the west side of Cumberland Avenue between York and George Streets, provides 30 modest new homes within walking distance of urban transit, employment centres, shopping districts and public parks. At a City-wide scale, this project showcases that modern, contemporary, infill construction in the four- to six-storey scale is possible and can be successful.

Jury's comments:

AN: "A vibrant and eclectic infill building that puts balconies and active frontages on street and lane alike. Works a tight urban site to maximize its mid rise scale to the fullest."

PF: "An eminently urban project, as it provides maximum density, a strong street presence and an interesting composition. The result is an impression of an attractive collage, a multi-sided connection to the street, a rhythmic response rather than a silent mass. The architectural inscription is successful and fully assumes the framing of the street."

GG: "It's a well integrated and artful contextual fit while remaining contemporary. It handles the most mundane programmatic issues with a subtly and design that's refreshing. It manages a collection if materials simultaneously in a confirm table way and in doing so, belongs to its context."

Project Team

Toon Dreessen – Farrow Dreessen Architects Inc.
Jon Turner – Adjeleian, Allen, Rubeli Ltd.
Richard Chiarelli – Chiarelli Engineering
Douglas Gray – DB Gray Engineering
Jakub Ulak Surface Developments Ltd, Tega Developments – Project Owner/Developer

Award of Merit: Campus Infill (special category)

Robert C. Gillett Student Commons, 1385 Woodroffe Avenue

The new centrally located Robert C. Gillett Student Commons at Algonquin College wraps around a new active campus greenspace and outdoor commons, which carefully connects to existing buildings on campus and reinforces an existing pedestrian circulation system. Views back and forth animate each space with student activity. A striking prow leads one into this green space from Woodroffe Avenue, marking a key entrance to the campus.

Jury's comments:

AN: "Whilst the jury was split on the execution of the building and its interface with the adjacent greenspace, the student centre is a positive addition to the campus that signals intent to reclaim the central quad for pedestrians. The open, balconied configuration of the building's central atrium felt appropriately democratic - pulling campus admin and activities out from behind closed office doors, to engage with the student population. The jury wishes to encourage the College to continue the transformation of their campus central zone, from the current sea of parking to a place for student life."

PF: "The panel would have appreciated having a general plan of the campus and understanding how this building could serve as a pretext for the composition of spaces that are more urban, more civil and that, over time,could help the areas that are still poorly defined."

GG : "There is clear recognition of advancing both the plan and the language of the campus in this project. There is a need for the vision to be documented within a context of the overall plan in order to complete the vision for future projects."

Project Team

Stephen Teeple, Chris Radigan, Eric Boelling, Tomer Diamant, Rob Cheung, Carla Pereja – Teeple Architects Inc
Ernie Patton, Donna Johnston – IBI Group Architects
Rob MacGowan, John Boisonnault – PCL Constructors Canada
Peter Spal, James Moffat, Neno Kovacevic - IBI Group Civil Engineering and Landscape Architecture
Michael Petrescu – Adjeleian, Allen, Rubeli Ltd.
Fahim Hassam – Crossey Engineering Ltd.
Algonquin College – Project Owner

Award of Excellence: Student projects

Urban Agritecture, Foster Farms

Urban Agritecture (UA) is a proposal for the redevelopment of Ottawa's Foster Farm Community Housing located in the Queensway Terrace North neighbourhood. UA seeks to develop a new housing typology that opens up home ownership to a much wider spectrum of people. Using specific incentives offered by CMHC, a target of $100k is set for land, services, construction and profit. The monotony that plagues social housing will be replaced with individualized units as owners move in and finish their 'bare bones' homes at their own pace.

Jury's comments:

AN: "This entry started with a crisp and innovative brief that caught all the jurors' attention – grounded in real world observations of demographics and economics. The project itself is clearly executed, precise yet playful – and stood head and shoulders above its peers."

PF: "Particularly successful method and strategy. The approach is consistent and the ensemble is a direct result (without falling into the "design" trap)."

GG: "A thoughtful approach to a concept that requires great study.

Project Team

Lucas Boyd – Carleton University, Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism

Award of Merit: Student projects

YouCube, 1 Beechwood Avenue

YouCube is situated between the neighbourhoods of Vanier and New Edinburgh, within close proximity to the downtown core. The project acknowledges its context, bridging two areas of different character and feel. In addition to increasing density in the area and presenting a solution to the housing question in Ottawa, the design also endeavours to offer subsidized and affordable housing as well as market housing solutions within one development. By integrating different unit typologies around a system of public and semi-public shared spaces, a new place of community and dwelling between different character areas can be established. The integrated pedestrian streets encourage communal engagement and an active, connected community.

Jury's comments:

PF: "The issue of the connection between the community, retail and private spaces is clearly laid out and the response seems to be based on relevant observations. While fitting in with a set of sure values, the proposal also offers interesting findings."

GG: "Most cities could benefit from the conceit of integrated housing typologies and open space . It's a strong concept."

Project Team

Mateusz Nowacki – Carleton University, Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism

Award of Merit: Student Projects

417 Rideau

This project explores an alternative path to intensification that focuses on community, accessibility and public space rather than tower views and prestige. 417 Rideau truly engages with both of the border conditions it faces. Instead of stacking units to meet intensification goals, the units are laterally compressed onto the site, creating a meandering horizontal tower. This form is manipulated in such a way that absorbs both landscapes and is carefully articulated to create both public spaces and different housing typologies.

Project Team

Lucas Boyd, Shane Dalke – Carleton University, Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism

Award of Merit: Visions & Master Plans

Downtown Moves: Transforming Ottawa's Streets

Downtown Moves provides an innovative and comprehensive new Street Design Decision-Making Framework, along with practical design solutions, to guide a wide range of planning and engineering projects proposed for the downtown. The overall aim is to make walking, cycling and transit more comfortable and convenient by restoring a balance among all street users and by improving the streetscape environment.

Jury's comments:

AN: "This project is commended for tackling head-on some of the most pertinent questions facing transportation in urban areas."

PF: "This is a very important exercise in urban planning. It poses the question of "How can we live together ?", the subject of urban architecture, and the answers are appropriate, particularly in the context of mitigation."

GG: "A very important and well structured effort on mobility networks and systems of the City. While this is an important aspect of planning, I look forward to this system being expanded to connect to others throughout the City and presented in a beautifully document for the general public."

Project Team

Ron Clarke, Ana Stuermer, Mark Baker – Delcan Corporation
David Leinster, Donna Hinde, Robin Chubb – The Planning Partnership
Marc Jolicoeur, Bartek Komorowski – Vélo-Québec
Ken Greenberg – Greenberg Consultants Inc.
Jill Sparling – David S. McRobie Architects Inc.
Nelson Edwards – City of Ottawa, Project Owner/Developer

Award of Merit: Visions & Master Plans

Rideau Canal Multi-Use Crossing, Environmental Assessment Study

The Rideau Canal multi-use crossing features a continuously curving deck that gradually rises up from the west-side heritage landscape. It widens out at centre span over the canal to provide a lookout zone that encourages users to pause and enjoy the spectacular setting. It demonstrates that a minimal contemporary design aesthetic can work well in an important heritage setting. Structure, architecture and landscape come together to provide a strong sense of place.

Jury's comments:

AN: "A thoughtful and solid analysis that concludes with a simple and elegant structure to support active transportation uses. Visual representation is clear and fluid."

PF: "The city also has artworks that punctuate space, that create landmarks, which often form singular experiences. In this case, the solution used to connect the two banks is simple and intelligible. The pretext of the curve is obvious and well presented."

GG: "It's nice to see infrastructure elevated to the level of art. In doing so , this project offers moments if pause and reflection giving different perspectives of the City."

Project Team

Mark Langridge, Peter Fletcher Smith – DTAH
Michel Vachon, Peter Steacy, Tim Dickinson – MMM Group
Colin Simpson – City of Ottawa, Project Owner/Developer

Award of Merit – Student Projects

Rideau Reflections, 576 Rideau Street

This theoretical multi-unit infill is located along Rideau Street between Coburg and Charlotte Streets and provides housing for a wide demographic that is close to the amenities of downtown. A diagonal pedestrian boulevard splits the site into two blocks, providing more private access to the units, and also to Besserer Street at the rear. Continuing the Rideau retail form, the commercial frontage is protected from the busy street by a row of trees and a covered arcade. The building height mirrors the height of the neighbouring fabric and adjusts from high (adjacent to the high street) to low (the residential neighbourhood street behind) with a sloped green roof.

Jury comments

“An ambitious project that incorporates an impressive mix of land uses and housing typologies. The jury hopes that the industry will pick up on cues from the students, which manage to think outside the box.”

Project team

May Makia, Carleton University

Award of Excellence – Student Projects

Rideau Viva, Rideau and Charlotte Streets

This student project explores a mixed-use residential building typology on a vacant site on the corner of Rideau and Charlotte Streets, in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood. Mixing retail with townhouses, maisonettes and apartments, these downtown housing units can accommodate families, seniors and students. The elevated internal street becomes a transition space from the busy Rideau Street to an open residential courtyard. The two subtle entrances on Rideau invite residents to walk up to this internal street where they can access their unit or use it as a route to the townhouses at the back.

Jury comments

“A step-up from the other student projects. The site was vigorously developed and incorporates promising architecture. This is an adventurous project that showed a deeper thought process.”

Project team

Ning Fei Gao, Carleton University

Award of Merit – Urban Infill (low-rise)

‘Front to Back’, 43, 45 Grant Street

This is a ‘front to back’ semi-detached infill project on a 25’ x 80’ lot in a residential neighbourhood comprised of modest 19th century houses interspersed with light industrial buildings. The challenge was to design two affordable homes for two separate owners in an area that has emerged as a rich arts community and local arts district. Remnants of industrial buildings inspired a collage of steel and plywood, which engages its context and serves to animate the street. Two homes on a small urban lot present a distinct modern infill.

Jury comments

“The exception proves the rule; this project would never survive the test of traditional urban design guidelines, but somehow it works. It’s a very lively, well-organized design that overcomes a challenging, narrow site and takes inspiration from neighbourhood elements such as porches and balconies. The project is something to be encouraged – it is spiritually connected to the neighbourhood, but incorporates an idiosyncratic playful design response.”

Project team

Anthony Bruni and James Colizza, Colizza Bruni Architecture
Project owner/developer: Anthony Bruni, James Colizza

Award of Excellence – Urban Infill (low-rise)

Elm Street Infill, 147, 149, 151, 153 Elm Street

Located on a quiet, dead-end street in the heart of Little Italy next to an existing industrial complex, four new homes have revitalized this block. To attract families to the area, the units provide substantial amenity space in the form of on-grade patios, second and third floor decks and rear yard grassy play areas. The open air car port, tucked into the centre of the site, provides a streetscape with one curb cut and a building façade that addresses and enhances the neighbourhood with life-filled windows, porches and extensive landscaping.

Jury comments

“An outstanding project. The jury commends the project on its innovative site planning, which addresses the difficult issue of where to place parking by creating an interior parking courtyard that is away from the front façade of the street. The design works at every level, from the neighbourhood to the street, and the typology is replicable. The project brings higher density to a low-density, established neighbourhood in an imaginative way creating a high-quality development on a small, challenging site.”

Project team

Jason C. Flynn, Jason C. Flynn Architect Inc.
Salem MacDonald, Sage Urban Developments
Clyde MacDonald, Eastern Ontario Construction
Shannon Smithers-Gay, One80 Design
Murray Chown, Novatech Engineering Consultants Ltd.
Project owner/developer: Salem MacDonald (Sage Urban Developments) and Clyde MacDonald (Eastern Ontario Construction)

Award of Merit – Urban Infill (mid- to high-rise)

Cornerstone Housing for Women, 314 Booth Street

This new development on Booth Street provides housing for 42 recently homeless women, as well as administration and counselling offices and support services. At Cornerstone, clients can walk from the entrance down the pathway to a public space that links the building to the street and creates a social dimension for the inhabitants. The landscaping adds amenity and eventual shade to the space as the trees mature. The benches allow the neighbourhood to also benefit. The design approach was informed by the principle that sustainable communities must include a social dimension as well as good building design.

Jury comments

“The project has symbolic value; it is a cornerstone of the community located at the corner of two streets. The building feels welcoming yet secure, with a beautiful courtyard for refuge. The design enlivens the corner, fits well within its context and plays an important role in the neighbourhood. Considering the low budget that these projects typically have to work with, the project is well balanced and the overall design sends all the right messages.”

Project team

Anthony Leaning, CSV Architects
Lisa MacDonald, Corush Sunderland Wright Ltd.
Gordon King, Gordon King Photography
Project owner/developer: Cornerstone Housing for Women

Ottawa Convention Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive

Reinventing the public realm at the intersection of the Rideau Canal, Colonel By Drive and Daly Avenue, the design of this urban form, plaza and parkette takes into account its significant, immediate neighbours, which include the National Arts Centre and Government Conference Centre (the old train station). The idea was to create a building form, suggestive of tulip petals, resting in a true hub of the city and Nation’s Capital. Extending the lobby from inside and linking the pedestrian routes to the Mackenzie King Bridge, Rideau Centre terrace and Canal is very attractive to pedestrians and re-vitalizes the area.

Jury comments

“The project is a grand, panoramic gesture that both preserves and provides spectacular views to Parliament Hill, the Chateau Laurier, the Government Conference Centre and the Rideau Canal. The project is elegantly done and houses a very large program within the curve. It is gently designed with the MacKenzie King Bridge adjacent. The ground level unfortunately presents a missed opportunity; both the landscaped trench detail and the interior ramp prevent any connection that would have created an animated life along the wide sidewalk, such as a cafe or other amenity space, to enjoy the wonderful location and setting.”

Project team

Ritchard Brisbin, bbb architects
Dwight Brown, PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
David McMullen, Novum Structures
Michael Allen, Adjeleian Allen Rubeli
David Lashley, Lashley & Associates Landscape Architects
Project owner/developer: Ottawa Convention Centre/PCL Constructors Canada Inc.

Award of Excellence – Urban Infill (mid- to high-rise)

Victoria Memorial Museum Building Rehabilitation, 240 McLeod Street

The Victoria Memorial Museum was Canada’s first purpose-built national museum, constructed between 1905 and 1910 on 3.6 hectares south of Parliament Hill on the axis of Metcalfe Street. The restoration has brought new life to this National Capital landmark. The new ‘Queen’s Lantern’ replaces the original masonry entrance tower. This project represents the completion of Phase 1 of the Master Plan, which envisions the reinstatement of the original Edwardian Park bounded by Elgin, McLeod, Argyle and O’Connor with open lawns, diagonal footpaths and vegetation indigenous to the National Capital region.

Jury comments

“This project speaks for itself. It is a bold urban gesture oriented along an important axis forming the termination of Metcalfe Street. The glass lantern is a landmark and plays off of the powerful masonry of the Museum in a contemporary way. The project brings a new sensibility to the area. The jury is anxious to see the realization of the adjacent parks which, when completed, will achieve a 360 degree treatment of the site. These adjacent public spaces are crying out to be finished. The federal government should be invited to fund the completion of the block.”

Project team

Padolsky, Kuwabara, Gagnon; Joint Venture Architects (PKG)
Barry Padolsky, Louise McGugan and Paul Dolan, Barry Padolsky Associates Inc. Architects
Bruce Kuwabara and Brent Wagler, Kuwabara, Payne, McKenna, Blumberg Architects
Marc Letellier, GLCRM Architects
Ashok Malhotra and Dan Carson, Halsall (Structural Engineers)
Ewen Marjerrison and Wayne Scharf, Genivar (Mechanical and Electrical Engineers)
Irvin Heiber, PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
Project owner/developer: Canadian Museum of Nature

Award of Merit – Urban Elements

Laurier Avenue Segregated Bike Lanes

As a two year pilot project, these on-street bicycle lanes constructed on Laurier Avenue West were meant to promote cycling as an effective transportation mode by better connecting cyclists to key destinations. They are the first segregated bike lanes in Ontario and extend over eight city blocks from Bronson to Elgin Streets. The lanes are an enhancement to the public realm, and the bright green pavement treatments at intersections were designed to be highly visible to everyone on the road or sidewalk.

Jury comments

“Enormous credit is given for undertaking this project and testing the waters in a pilot format to transform an important city street. [...] Bravo. If the outcome of this pilot project is positive, and these types of lanes become a permanent installation, the City is encouraged to employ better design detailing through the use of higher quality materials and detail.”

Project team

Michel Bisson, Meghan Whitehead and Laura Maxwell, McCormick Rankin Corporation
Colin Simpson, Steve Stoddard and Louis Quigley, City of Ottawa
Project owner/developer: City of Ottawa

Award of Merit – Public Places and Civic Spaces

Rideau Canal Esplanade, Rideau Canal and Colonel By Drive

The Rideau Canal Esplanade demonstrates how simple, but bold design moves can transform otherwise wasted space into spectacular urban space. In front of the new Convention Centre, the plaza is a logical terminus to the Colonel By Drive and arrival court to the core of the City. The Esplanade now gathers Parliament Hill, City Hall, the NAC, the OCC, Confederation Park and the Government Conference Centre (the old train station) into one cohesive composition. Vehicle traffic has been slowed here giving priority to the pedestrian. Building on the canal heritage theme, large limestone blocks are aligned to the City grid and form sitting and movement spaces. The stone walls define pedestrian and vehicular spaces while providing edges and perches for people to sit. The large elm trees shade the wood benches crafted from log booms that once floated down the Ottawa River. The canal is revealed as part of a very successful urban space.

Jury comments

“This is a natural and delicate way to form the edge of the canal along Colonel By Drive. The design treatment creates a sense of movement that is in tune with the Rideau Canal. The landscape scheme wonderfully preserves and frames views of Parliament Hill. Overall, the design includes an excellent choice of materials and finishes including the repurposing of the iconic Canal timbers.”

Project team

Steve Sunderland, Jerry Corush and Pat Bunting, Corush Sunderland Wright Ltd.
Diane Irwin, Linda Dicaire and Mathieu Brisson, National Capital Commission
Irv Mazurkiewicz, Don Marrin and Jennifer Drew, Parks Canada
Brad Banks and Mark Martin, PCL Constructors Canada Inc.
Teja Lischer, Hufdi Bahia and George Fraser, Meyknecht-Lischer Contractors Ltd.
Project owner/developer: National Capital Commission

Wellington Street West Reconstruction

The design concept was ‘linking neighbourhoods’ and spans approximately two kilometres of inner city community, along which lies a rich neighbourhood history. 23 side streets (from Western Avenue to Garland Street at Somerset Street West) intersect this project, each leading to enclaves of residential communities and diverse businesses. As part of an integrated water and sewer replacement initiative, this municipal project presented the opportunity to substantially re-design the pedestrian mainstreet environment.

Jury comments

“The project is a great example of how the transformation of a street can emphasize pedestrians. The project allows great animation and activity along the street edge by providing space on the sidewalk for more than just walking. From the lighting to the paving treatment and public art, it is an exciting and comfortable design. The proof of success is how businesses have responded to the opportunity; new life spreads along the street and creates a sense of unity and integration throughout the community. The sheer size and length of this project is impressive and makes the neighbourhood lively.”

Project team

Ron Clarke and Dave Hearnden, Delcan Corporation
Jim Douglas and Kaja Cerveny, Douglas & Ruhland Associates
Annie Hillis, West Wellington BIA
Paulette Dozois, Hintonburg Community Association
Ryan Lotecki and Marcus Kucey, Artists of the Wellington Marbles
Max Ross, Taavi Siitam and Nancy Jackson, City of Ottawa
Project owner/developer: City of Ottawa

City of Ottawa Central Archives and Ottawa Public Library Materials Centre,
100 Tallwood Drive

On the edge of Tallwood Forest at the intersection of two arterial roads (Woodroffe and Tallwood Drive) the new City Archives was designed to create a public courtyard linking to the future transit station. The courtyard also provides a site for public art and acts as a communal focal point at a key intersection in the city. This new facility makes significant connections between the adjacent neighbourhood, the forest and the future transit station. It provides tangible community benefits and includes striking architectural character to a growing part of the city on a major community transit and transportation corridor.

Jury comments

“An attractive, colourful and beautifully detailed design that works on all four sides of the site, the back is as nice as the front. The project includes a great mix of elements including a wonderful example of public art and a public square. With a planned Transitway adjacent, this project is a grand gesture to the future, and one that will help transform this suburban setting over time. A very nice, interesting project.”

Project team

Wendy Brawley and Gerry Shoalts, Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Inc. in association with Shoalts and Zaback Architects Ltd.
Don Maynard, Artist
Richard Cunliffe, Cunliffe & Associates
Francis Bann and Chris Myres, Goodkey Weedmark & Associates
Ron Cebryk, Novatech Engineering
Jerry Corush, Corush Sunderland Wright
Chris Wanczycki, City of Ottawa
Project owner/developer: City of Ottawa

Award of Excellence – Public Places and Civic Spaces

Parkdale Park and Fieldhouse Redevelopment, 366 Parkdale Avenue

Parkdale Park is located just off the Wellington ‘mainstreet’ at Armstrong Street and Hamilton Avenue North and adjacent to the Parkdale Market. The park and market are intertwined and regarded as the ‘hub’ or ‘heart’ of the Hintonburg community. It provides residents of all ages a vibrant green space to enjoy recreational activities and social events as well as a place to shop for fruits and vegetables.

Jury comments

“A stand-out project. This project proves that with imaginative design a minimum budget can create a memorable and whimsical space that fits beautifully into its context of the adjacent outdoor market, street and surrounding community. The tomato sculptures are playful and the ‘vine walls’ are a clever way to prevent graffiti. Overall, there is an excellent use and execution of material and colours. Amazing.”

Project team

Kaja Cerveny, Douglas Associates Landscape Architects Ltd. (Prime Consultant) and Anthony Bruni, James Colizza and Nic de Socio, Colizza Bruni Architecture
Dorel Mihai, Star Engineering
Guy-Olivier Mauzeroll and Scott Cooper, McKee Engineering
Dave Yaeger, Delcan
Bruce Meiklejohn, Martin Conboy Lighting Design
Sandra Pilgrim, Joanne Moran, Kevin Wherry, Paul Landry, Sami Qadan and Nancy Jackson, City of Ottawa
Project Owner/Developer: City of Ottawa

General Jury Comments

The jury tips their hat to the many innovative projects around the Parkdale/Westboro/Hintonburg area. It would have liked to see more examples of this kind of urban design in the suburbs. It seems, though, that some very good projects were not submitted. The awards program could benefit from more promotion.

The jury also wants to commend the efforts of Shoppers Drug Mart for developing more urban façades and for responding well to the context in their submissions. Shoppers Drug Mart should be applauded for making an effort to move towards a more urban format on city mainstreets.

As for the student category: At a time when living arrangements and choices are limited and often monotonous, it’s gratifying to see that students explore such diverse and innovative types of multi-family housing. Scales are manipulated to fit into neighbourhoods, and ideas are explored that we all would like to see picked up more by the industry.

Overall, the most innovative and fresh designs are not always found in the biggest budgeted projects; for the 2011 OUDAs some of the best designs were most apparent in the neighbourhood projects and mid-rise form. The jury encourages this kind of development in keeping with Ottawa's urban fabric. Excellent design is happening at a smaller-scale, and it is something to be emulated.

Finally, in the presentations, it was said once again that many of the submissions need to better convey their projects’ context, including shots of people.

Award of Excellence – Urban Infill (low-rise)

Chamberlain Offices, 76 Chamberlain Avenue

Chamberlain Offices is located between the Queensway and Central Park, the seam where car and people, grey and green, hard and soft meet. The highway face of Chamberlain Offices is composed of “boxy” black and aluminium volumes and a long curving mahogany wall, sitting on a bed of gravel landscape. On the other side, the park face of Chamberlain Offices is animated with smaller, more refined forms where glass is a dominant material.

The architecture of the Chamberlain Offices enhances the urban experience of the person traveling on the Queensway at high speed, as well as the person walking their dog in the park.

Some of the jury comments:

“This project is a skilful solution to a challenging site that is shaped by somewhat harsh, toxic urban conditions. The building and urban space is a positive visual cue and provides a sense of landmark along an industrial-type service road. The rear yard is soft and offers a place of discovery, and a nice buffer to safely use the adjacent park.”

Project Team

James A. Colizza Architect Inc., James Colizza

Award of Excellence – Urban Infill (low-rise)

57 Lewis Street

The Lewis Street Infill site is a through-lot located along the only block in the Golden Triangle that has no buildings on the north side of Lewis Street - only backyards and parking. It is a contemporary infill project in a “building-less” streetscape and includes an articulated grouping of vertical volumes that are clad with affordable and durable materials. Wood panels serve to soften the building and express a more refined quality to some of the building elements, and the deck adds a finer detail and scale.

Some of the jury comments:

“This is a precedence-setting project along the street, which reclaims space that is otherwise oriented to cars. The project has good intentions and legitimately uses modest materials in a quality piece of architecture. This project creates a new type of street façade and is a paradigm shift for this portion of Lewis Street.”

Project Team

Jacques Hamel, Hamel Design; Rod Gillard, Genivar Consulting Group Ltd.; Flo Conti, Conti Corp.

Award of Merit – Urban Infill (low-rise)

Strathcona on the Parc, 417, 419, 421 Laurier Avenue East

Strathcona on the Parc is a 10 unit residential restoration, renovation and infill project located in the Sandy Hill Heritage Conservation District. The development features the restoration of the two existing Queen Anne Revival heritage houses, and a new 17,000 square metre, four storey addition at the rear of the property to accommodate eight new residential condominium units.

Strathcona on the Parc is designed in a contemporary vernacular sympathetic to, but distinct from, the existing heritage residences. It demonstrates that residential intensification in one of the Ottawa’s Heritage Conservation Districts can be achieved with a strategy of careful restoration and sensitive infill.

Some of the jury comments:

“A clean, clear and honest infill project with good scale and proportion. The project is a sympathetic juxtaposition without crowding the adjacent buildings. It uses high-quality materials, fits well among the established character and streetscape, and appropriately considers and treats all facades.”

Project Team

Barry Padolsky, Michael Kelly, Barry Padolsky Associates Inc. Architects; Massoud Yazdani, M & E Engineering Ltd.; Adam O’Connor, Todd Perry, McIntosh Perry Consulting Engineering Ltd.; Tom Stevens, Dan Carson, Halsall Associates Limited; James Douglas, Douglas Associates Landscape Architects Ltd.; Keith Sim, Paul Daoust Construction Canada Ltd.; Peter Doig, 421 Laurier Avenue Ltd.

Award of Merit – Urban Infill (low-rise)

Montmartre on the Market, 224-230 Dalhousie Street, 114-126 Guigues Avenue

The Montmartre on the Market project is located at the corner of Dalhousie Street and Guigues Avenue and incorporates one residential heritage building, one new semi-detached on Guigues Avenue, one heritage commercial building with apartments above, two new townhouses, one new duplex, and twelve new condominium units, with main street commercial, all clustered around an interior courtyard. Underground parking is provided for all the new residential units.

This mixed-use development extends the commercial realm of Dalhousie Street and successfully introduces a strong residential component. The project provides a variation in scale, height and massing, and divides each street frontage into three architecturally distinct forms. By retaining and rehabilitating the existing heritage structures, and by incorporating courtyards and carriageways, the continuity of the urban fabric along the street is strengthened and appears to have developed naturally.

Some of the jury comments:

“This is a complex, noble project. The scale is very good; it is a scale that more cities need to help repair their dispirited areas. The design is eclectic without begin pastiche. Overall the project is pleasant and fits well into the streetscape, almost like it has always been there. This type of development is not easy to realize, but should still be encouraged for all cities.”

Project Team

Doug Hardie, Marcel Pelletier, Douglas Hardie Architect Inc.; Jim Lennox, James Lennox & Associates Inc.; Peter James, Novatech Engineering Consultants Ltd.; Massoud Yazdani, M & E Engineering Ltd.; Greg Clunis, Integral DX Engineering Ltd.; Neal Hardie, Photographer; Paul Justice, L.A. Group; Marnie Bennett, Bennett & Company; Steve Cunliffe, Dalhousie Street Inc. c/o Regional Group of Companies

Award of Excellence – Urban Infill (mid- to high-rise)

Mackay House, 295 Mackay Street

The five-storey infill building is situated on a corner lot, fronting MacKay Street to the north and Dufferin Road to the west. The site allows the introduction of a corner feature that faces the Rideau Hall grounds, home to the Governor General. The circular tower is in stone, glass and copper, and serves as a visual icon for the project and a landmark to the neighbourhood. Vertical bays and changes in materiality articulate the building elevations and building mass, and create a transition with the scale of neighbouring buildings. The base of the tower forms an arcaded entrance for pedestrians from a slightly sunken ‘plaza’, leading into the lobby. Along both fronting streets, English oak trees create a formal rhythm between the sidewalk and property line and a concrete curb creates an edge for planting and snow removal in the winter.

Some of the jury comments:

“The development is a convincing example of an end-of-block infill project; it is an architectural anchor that defines the residential avenue. The project is skilfully proportioned and scaled, and develops a clear sense of rhythm. If I lived in this neighbourhood I would be happy the Mackay House was built. This project is a labour of love, by a committed developer who enjoys their work.”

Project Team

Barry J. Hobin, Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Incorporated; Ken Pidgeon, ZW Group Inc.; Peter Goodeve, Goodeve Manhire Inc.; Mike Green, David McManus Engineering Ltd.; John Scrivens, Genivar Consulting Group Ltd.; Gerry Larocque, Larocque Levstek; John MacDougall, Uniform Urban Developments

Award of Merit – Public Places and Civic Spaces

Sandy Hill Flood Control and Park Rehabilitation, 250 Somerset Street East

Sandy Hill Park has traditionally served as a major community hub for neighbourhood residents. The new park design incorporates an improved layout, modernized facilities and comfortable outdoor places. Each and every design element of the park respects the engineering design of the flood control and stormwater management plan, as well as local community input. Grade changes were used to shape a new landscape with natural slopes and high impact stonewalls, while also visually cradling park users within this green space. The stormwater management pond, which sits above the underground storage tank and is one meter below the surrounding pathways in the centre of the park, can be utilized as a multi-sport field in the summer and an ice rink in the winter. The quality of this urban space is demonstrated through its dual utility as a flood control solution and a beautiful community asset.

Some of the jury comments:

“An engineering feat that is married with the landscape, and that improves the community. This project has well-articulated edges, deals effectively with surface water and goes beyond typical engineering solutions. The urban space also excites the community and offers them unexpected recreational opportunities.”

Project Team

Adrien Comeau, Brett Byce, Stéphane D'Aoust, Chantal Gaudet, James Ricker, Jeff Deloyde, Ernie Calberry, Gregory Chochlinski, Anthony Grigaitis, Susan Alarcon and Brian Harris, Stantec Consulting Ltd.; Doug Rancier and Ryan Baker, Civitas Architecture Inc.; Peter Spal and Rikke Brown, IBI Group; William Cavers, Golder Associates; Action Sandy Hill; Doran Contractors Ltd.; Darryl Shurb, Paul Landry, Joanne Moran, Eric Tousignant, George Blake, City of Ottawa

Award of Merit – Urban Elements

Cancer Survivors Park, Industrial Avenue and Alta Vista Drive

Located at the junction of Alta Vista Drive, Riverside Drive and Industrial Avenue, the Cancer Survivors Park is a beacon for those making their way to the Ottawa Hospital and Regional Cancer Clinic. Positive messages are conveyed through stationary plaques mounted on stone cairns that frame a large circular walkway. Trees are planted at the edges of the space, tempering the climate by buffering winds and providing shade. Public art, of seven flowers, six metres high, rise out from behind the entry wall. As well, a tall stainless steel sculpture called ‘Shine’ welcomes motorists as they approach from the east. The sculpture ‘Cancer, there is Hope’ animates the park’s Riverside entrance.

The gentle grades quiet the roadways and provide a sense of privacy. Residents are invited through the park on their way to the local transit station.

Some of the jury comments:

“The Cancer Survivors Park incorporates many interesting elements and public art pieces that celebrate our cultural aspects. The project defines a crossroads in the community that can be experienced by car, is diverse, and employs good workmanship. The design and execution of the Park involves great skill and care in detail; a lot of experience went in to designing this park.”

Project Team

Steve Sunderland, Corush Sunderland Wright Limited; Chuck Merovitz, Committee Chair, Cancer Survivors Park; Vangie Rich, R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation; Kathleen Grimes, Site Preparation Ltd.; Linda Eagan, Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation

Special Jury Prize

Children’s Garden of Old Ottawa East, 321 Main Street

Thanks to the work of a dedicated group of volunteers, an underutilized park, which is bordered by a high-speed commuter artery (Main Street), has been transformed into Ottawa’s first and only Children’s Garden. The space has become an urban sanctuary for the young, a place where children can till the soil, plant seeds, hunt for bugs, pick berries and hide away in a bean tepee. They come to the garden to have fun, but along the way come to understand how the natural world works and how we can produce our own food in an organic, sustainable environment. The Garden is a place built for the community, by the community. As it has taken shape, new relationships have taken root and they continue to grow, as the Garden — which will always be a work in progress — evolves.

Some of the jury comments:

“This project breaks-down the barriers and professionalism in planning. It involves a community taking ownership of its open space through successful engagement – a sentiment we need more of. The garden is imaginative and uses delight and whimsy in defining a community space. This project demonstrates that a park can capture the imagination of children through proper dialogue, inclusiveness and clever educational programs, without building a traditional play structure.”

Project Team

Students and staff at Lady Evelyn Alternative School (Jennifer Dawson's class, in particular); Sustainable Living Ottawa East; past and current members of the Children's Garden Advisory Group, including Annette Hegel, Alan Kenworthy, Rebecca Aird, Aamina Badran, Denise Landry, Stephanie Pineau, Isabelle Leclerc-Morin, Candace Hebert, Chris Osler, Erin Kaipainen, Leah McDonald, Michael Friedman, Justin Van Dyk, Julia Sneyd and Mike Shahin; Sue Bramley, Renée Proteau, Paul McCann, Debbie Hamilton, Doug Flowers, Dave Mcleod and Gilles Roy, City of Ottawa; Sandy Hill Community Health Centre; Student Experience Office of Carleton University; Christiana Fizet, Summer 2009 Garden Co-ordinator; Main Farmers' Market; Corporate Council on Volunteering; Community Foundation of Ottawa; Walmart-Evergreen Green Grants; Brian Sindall, Construction Lines; Jeremie Dicaire, Trim to Perfection

Ottawa win goes national!

As part of a two-tier program, this project won the 2010 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s national urban design awards competition in the ‘Community Improvement’ category. Congratulations!

Award of Merit – Student Projects

Cascade Public Drinking Fountain

The Cascade fountain creates an occasion for all users (even pets) to appreciate water’s power and attraction, and allows urbanized people, who are mostly removed from natural water sources, to indulge in the pleasures of free flowing drinking water. The goal of the Cascade fountain is to bring some exuberance back to the outdoor and indoor drinking fountain, while making it simple to drink from and fill reusable containers, accessible to all users, easily maintainable and adaptable to its environment.

Some of the jury comments:

“A beautiful project organized in a concise, non-verbal way that effectively illustrates and documents the evolution of the design process. The Fountain is sensitively imagined, well tested and thoughtfully presented.”

Project Team

Michael Tomlin, Student, Carleton University, School of Industrial Design

Award of Merit – Student Projects

Urban Nature, 560 Rideau Street

This theoretical project is located along Rideau Street, between Coburg Street and Charlotte Street. The building and urban space promotes a flow of people into the area. The project incorporates live/work opportunities and features a range of residential unit types to accommodate a diverse group of residents. The project also proposes ground floor commercial units, several institutional uses and a rooftop garden. It creates a private, safe home as well as an exciting place to live. The design of the facade extends the built form along Rideau Street in a contemporary, colourful manner.

Some of the jury comments:

“This is an ambitious project that packs a lot in to the site. The programming mix is interesting and the variegated street façade and internal world are well done. The development also creates a new use for the laneway. This project is dynamic and pro-active; it is not afraid to make mistakes.”

Project Team

Nicholas Pangallo, Student, Carleton University, Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism

1. Award of Excellence - Urban Infill

700 Sussex Mixed-Use Development

This 10-storey, mixed-use condominium frames the busy corners of Rideau, Mackenzie and Sussex Drive. The development brings 70 residential units, a hanging roof garden, quality retail spaces, and a much-needed outdoor open space to the heart of the city. The generous street level plaza features restaurants and boutiques. It is a favourite sunny place to linger or an enjoyable short cut between the downtown and the ByWard Market.

Some of the jury comments:

“This project was obviously mandated and extensively reviewed to result in a high quality addition to the main street of Canada. It has more than risen to the challenge. Use of materials, the relationship to the street edges, the location of retail to support Sussex, the location of the main mass of the building and the addition of a significant, well detailed public space on the corner demonstrate considerable urban design excellence.”

“This is a very well designed site with a clear and vibrant design intent that complements the adjacent urban fabric.”

“A high-quality urban piece by a skilled architect.”

Project Team

Claridge Homes, Dan S. Hanganu Architecte, IBI Group Architects, Halsall Associates, Quadrant Engineering, James B. Lennox Landscape Architect, Novatech Engineering.

2. Award of Merit - Urban Infill

100 Murray Street

This 5-storey mixed-use office project is a recent addition to the heritage district of the ByWard Market. Designed and scaled to tie in with the existing rhythm of the streetscape, the project is a contemporary mid-rise office building inserted into the heritage fabric of the ByWard Market.

Some of the jury comments:

“A well proportioned multiple façade fits well on the market street and is supported by several small retail shops flanking the lobby. The additional height above the main building is deployed in a very successful manner related to the preservation of the market scale of building at the street level. The addition of streetscape is a valuable urban component.”

“A reasonably good mixed-use urban infill that does what any piece of urban architecture should do: provide a continuity of the alignment and height of the street façade, a continuity of the commercial spaces on the street, and a continuity at grade from the sidewalk to the interior public spaces.”

“The retail spaces along the street complement the character and use of the street and occur at a complementary scale and with a similar texture of materials, promoting a good transition from adjacent buildings.”

Project Team

Richard Chmiel Architect & Associates Inc., R. J. McKee Engineering, Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Ltd., Thomas Fuller Construction, Corush Sunderland Wright

3. Award of Merit - Urban Infill

131 Queen Street Mixed-Use Development

This new mixed-use office development between the Sparks Street Mall and Queen Street is situated within a Heritage District where the federal realm meets the civic realm. It integrates historic buildings along Sparks Street into a mixed-use retail, residential, and commercial development that steps back to protect views and provide access to sunlight on the Sparks Street Mall.

Some of the jury comments:

“What distinguishes this building is the high quality (and the restraint) of the overall detailing and of the Sparks Street façade. The fine restoration of the existing façades, along with the understated design of the new elements, makes for a beautiful contribution to Sparks Street.”

“The Sparks Street side of this development is very successful and overall the total mixed-use format, historic integration and retention of the arcade is a valuable lesson in the details of downtown urban design.”

“The upper floors are nicely stepped back to ensure appropriate light penetration to the mall.”

Project Team

National Capital Commission, Morguard Corporation and 131 Queen Street Limited, Bregman & Hamann Architects.

4. Award of Excellence - Public Places and Civic Spaces

Corktown Footbridge

The Corktown footbridge connects the Centretown neighbourhood with the University of Ottawa and Sandy Hill. The landmark bridge offers a new vantage point for spectacular views of the canal. Although a very recent addition to the open space system, this project is already a highly successful ‘place’ as measured by the number of pedestrians, cyclists and rollerbladers.

Ottawa win goes national!

Congratulations! As part of a two-tier program, this project won the 2006 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s national Urban Design Awards competition in the ‘Civic Design’ category.

Some of the jury comments:

“Delightful and functional in a magic setting. About time as well.”

“A work of great elegance, simplicity and richness of detailing. It is evident that a great deal of thought, time and effort went into this project. This is the reward.”

“It is a wonderful example of how art and architecture can be melded to create a signature urban element.”

Project Team

City of Ottawa, Delcan, du Toit Architects Ltd / du Toit Allsopp Hillier, Gabriel Design Inc.

5. Award of Merit - Public Places and Civic Spaces

Lakeridge Square

This open space in a new neighbourhood in the Orléans community is inspired by the historic squares of Savannah, Georgia. The park is framed by stacked townhouses and is a focal point that terminates the view of four local streets. It is designed as a passive area ideal for contemplation, picnics, or free play such as Frisbee and catch.

Some of the jury comments:

“The introduction of this type of open space into suburban communities is very important. This space would work just as well at one half and one quarter of this size and the jury encourages suburban park standards to be refined to allow many more of these spaces to be created.”

“We applaud the effort to create significant and recognisable public spaces – in this case squares that are clearly in the public domain and enclosed by built form.”

“This is a step in the right direction for the promotion of a variation on the suburban open space theme. The square also speaks to the need to develop flexible urban open space that responds to each site and each context in a specific way.”

Project Team

Minto Developments Inc., F. D. Fountain Landscape Architecture, Atrel Engineering, Paquette Planning Associates Ltd., Golden Triangle Nursery

6. Award of Merit - Urban Elements

Confederation Boulevard Urban Furnishings

The distinctive urban furnishings designed with a common design vocabulary unify some of the Capital Regions most central streets to create Confederation Boulevard. The Boulevard provides a rich pedestrian experience with wide treed esplanades, interpretive elements, floral displays and spectacular views of the Capital’s built and natural treasures. A common design vocabulary unifies the many streetscape elements including streetlights, benches, waste receptacles, attraction signs, fountains, floral displays, flag poles and way finding maps.

Some of the jury comments:

“There is a simple, clean and subtle texture to this design.”

“I like the effort to simplify, reduce the number of elements and standardize their implantation, making for an organized and uncluttered urban space.”

Project Team

National Capital Commission

7. Special Jury Award

Preston Square

The recent phase of this mixed-use commercial project – in the heart of “Little Italy” – is the recipient of a “special jury award”, a new category created this year by the jury to recognize the uniqueness of certain projects and contexts. Wide sunny sidewalks with room for outdoor cafés are lined with small retail and restaurant spaces. Interior entry spaces and outdoor landscaped courtyards are used to unite diverse development built over several phases.

Some of the jury comments:

“What a delightful surprise on Preston Street. The jury separated this entry for recognition because it crosses so many categories and demonstrated a remarkable transformation of a parcel from a suburban office park form into a remarkable mixed-use neighbourhood centre. Employment, housing and retail have been masterfully combined in a very complicated urban design that for users is very simple and legible. The Preston Street frontage is a model for west facing re-urbanization throughout the city. Watch this spot evolve and amplify the life of Preston Street.”

“This project distinguishes itself by being able to successfully urbanise an impossible site.”

“This project provides an excellent example of how to integrate mixed-use with a strong pedestrian environment.”

Project Team

Sakto Corporation, Aberdeen Project Facilitators, IBI Group Architects, Bregman and Hamann Architects, Adjeleian Allen Rubeli, McKee Engineering, Douglas Associates, Quinn Design Associates, Novatech Engineering

8. Award of Excellence - Student Project

Bikevine

The Bikevine is a design for a public utility to improve Ottawa’s public transport by encouraging increased bicycle use. This storage solution is a sleek, narrow design that ensures that it remains unobtrusive to the flow of pedestrian traffic.

Some of the jury comments:

“Every now and then you see something so simple and elegant, it is magic.”

“Provides a clear resolution in a clean and simple form.”

“Simple. Ingenious. One can easily envision it being prototyped, tested, put into production.”

Project Team

Ian Murchison and Charles Tigner

9. Award of Merit - Student Project

International Congress Centre

This student project proposed to replace the existing Ottawa Congress building with an iconic tower that would inject modern identity to the nation’s capital. The tower and expansion of the facility would include roof gardens, apartments, commercial spaces, and enhanced pedestrian access to the Congress Centre.

Some of the jury comments:

“Thought out in great detail. Nicely presented with a richness of information.”

“A bold and dramatic intervention.”

Project Team

Anastasiya Burchevska, Adrian Brett, Maurice McIlwain

10. Award of Merit - Student Project

Re-Imaging the Rockcliffe Airbase

This project proposes a sustainable mid-density neighbourhood on the lands of the former Rockcliffe Airbase. The submission organizes residential sub-neighbourhoods around a regional downtown and provides transitions between these areas with a human scaled ‘greenbelt’ of natural park space that protects and enhances the site’s environmental features.

Some of the jury comments:

“Another well thought out project with an enormous amount of detail. Beautifully drawn.”

“A visionary complex design solution for a large site.”

Project Team

Andrew Foote and Matthew Fielding

11. Award of Merit - Student Project

The Schlinoffitel

The Schlinoffitel is a literal bridge that crosses a busy speedway to act as a connective tissue between a busy consumer area and a quieter residential community.

The Schlinoffitel is a proposal to connect two disparate communities divided by the realities of urban expansion with a combined school, clinic, office and hotel.

Some of the jury comments:

“A thoughtful and pertinent analysis of contemporary urban development. Here the dense and varied urban space, the space of the pedestrian, is literally a bridge over the space of the automobile.”

“A daring intervention that addresses the complex nature of urban spaces.”

Project Team

Matthew Robert Lahey

1. Urban Infill - Award of Excellence

Salvation Army Grace Manor

The Salvation Army Grace Manor is located on Wellington Street between Parkdale and Rosemont and is home to 128 seniors. The campus-like design of this three-storey facility, located on one of Ottawa's significant main streets, is well integrated into the neighbourhood.

Some of the jury comments:

"A solid, well detailed building, appropriately scaled and well massed for its context (a busy road and large infill institutional site). The building, by screening its own parking and providing ample publicly accessible green space shows a respect for its neighbours and setting and promises to be a positive landmark in the area for many years."

"I thought the street side treatment both in terms of the façade and the main entrance were handled with a great deal of restraint, giving the building a kind of quiet composure. This coupled with the minimal and thoughtful detailing really elevated it to award winning status in my mind."

"I think 1156 Wellington (Salvation Army Grace Manor) was the best overall project, for all the reasons mentioned, and I liked the front door. "

Project Team

Major Larry Jones, Bruce Fair, Millie Jarvis, The Salvation Army (client)
Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Incorporated, Montgomery Sisam Associates Inc.,
Cunliffe & Associates, Goodkey Weedmark & Associates, Intempo Design, Corush Sunderland Wright,
Simmering & Associates, M. Sullivan & Son Ltd.

2. Urban Infill - Award of Merit

Crichton School Redevelopment
The Gables, The Cottages and The Annex

Located on Crichton Street in New Edinburgh, this infill project provides 23 new housing units while preserving the mature, delightful character of this rich green neighborhood. Existing trees and park space have been retained and the historic Crichton School building has been preserved for a variety of new community uses.

Some of the jury comments:

"I thought this was a very successful infill / intensification project which successfully preserved and optimized the use of existing structures for community usage, breathed life into a 'rear lane', making it more viable as a public access way while reinforcing the scale and quality of an established (historic) neighbourhood.

"It is a fine example of the direction we promote for Smart Growth. The gentle and sensitive intensification of existing neighbourhoods which deliver a net positive benefit for residents and stakeholders alike."

"I agree that the scale of the development and especially the lane facing aspect is urbanistically appropriate. Most importantly, it is a good precedent for similar projects in the core area. "

Project Team

Charlesfort Developments Limited (client), Barry J. Hobin & Associates Architects Incorporated, Kallala Designs

3. Urban Infill - Award of Merit

1142 Richmond Road

Located along a busy 100-foot stretch of Richmond Road, this affordable housing infill project is comprised of seven townhouses, 14 stacked duplexes and two raised lofts. The entire site is organized around an interior courtyard that respects the site's unique triangular shape.

Some of the jury comments:

"A skilful almost witty response to a difficult site. The strong forms and vibrant colour, in combination with the deft manipulation of the massing and building elements to screen the parking from the busy adjacent street, along with the finer detailing and massing on the more conventional streets, forming the other two sides of the triangular site, shows a clear understanding of the context and the role this project plays in it."

Project Team

Centretown Citizens Ottawa Corporation (client), James A. Colizza Architects Inc., Warlyn Construction Ltd.

4. Public Places & Civic Spaces - Award of Excellence

Canadian War Museum

The New Canadian War museum is the first phase of the revitalization for LeBreton Flats. Located along the Ottawa River, the museum serves as an instant landmark and vibrant addition to the institutional fabric of Ottawa's core.

Some of the jury comments:

"This structure forms the edge of the future LeBreton flats development and, as such, could readily have become a barrier between that neighbourhood and the river to the north. Instead, it deftly divides and manipulates its huge mass on and into the landscape to provide a smooth transition between that future neighbourhood and softer rivers' edge without compromising its role as a monument and without compromising its visual links to the peace tower and the core of Ottawa."

"I may be a little biased here but I think the premise of this bunker buried into the shoreline of the Ottawa River is a powerful and iconic image for the War Museum. I'm also intrigued by the building acting as a kind of incision that creates this ambiguous relationship between the building and the ground. As we discussed it'll be interesting to see how this all fits with the future development of LeBreton Flats. I think that the museum is such an integral part of the river that it will sit comfortably as a landscape form next to whatever LeBreton Flats turns out to be."

Project Team

Mr. J. Geurts, Director and CEO, Canadian War Museum (client), Moriyama & Teshima Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects in Joint Venture, Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Limited, The Mitchell Partnership Limited, Crossey Engineering, William Asselin Ackaoui, Stantec Consulting, PCL Constructors Canada Inc.

5. Public Places & Civic Spaces - Award of Merit

Laurier Bridge Reconstruction

Residents and visitors alike recognize the Laurier bridge as the picturesque backdrop to the Rideau canal, both summer and winter. This reconstruction respects the historic geometry of the bridge while enhancing access to the canal and enriching the pedestrian experience through careful attention to landscaping, seating, and lighting.

Some of the jury comments:

"The project has recognized the iconic role the original bridge has for Ottawa in general and canal skating in particular. In order to maintain this status, it has skilfully maintained the scale, form and detailing of the original structure while subtly doubling its size."

"This project is a good example of how infrastructure renewal can be sensitively handled when dealing with important and symbolic built features in the Capital. Although there could have been a more inspired intervention, it is unobtrusive and seems true to the original design intent."

Project Team

City of Ottawa (client), du Toit Allsopp Hillier/du Toit Architects Limited, McCormick Rankin Corporation

6. Urban Elements - Award of Excellence

Ottawa Airport Fountain

The Ottawa Airport fountain is a memorable element of the new Ottawa Airport passenger terminal. Aside from the calming effect, both to the ears and the eyes, the fountain attempts to relate the story of the area's three rivers and their role in the founding of Ottawa.

New arrivals into the hall are often seen taking pictures of the fountain, both on its own as a beautiful object and with their friends and family in front of it. An elegant and memorable arrival to the city.

Ottawa win goes national!

Congratulations! As part of a two-tier program, this project won the 2006 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s national Urban Design Awards competition in the ‘Urban Fragment’ category.

Some of the jury comments:

"A highly successful and engaging element of the airport which provides both an instant and refreshing reference to the region and gentle but effective guidance to the baggage hall and exit. Its role as a visual treat, history lesson and meeting point for residents and travellers will undoubtedly form an important component of the memory and images of Ottawa for many."

"The play of sound, light and movement has a calming effect that I'm sure is appreciated by all who pass by it. "

"I think the Ottawa airport fountain is one of the best things in the city, the new 'fast architecture' piazza, contemporary but delicately referencing the past and the area."

Project Team

Mr. Paul Benoit, President and CEO, Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier International Airport Authority (client), Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects in association with Stantec Architecture Ltd., Crystal Fountains Inc.