Toronto's Core Architects continues to shape urban Ottawa

Much has been said about the increase in Toronto-based real estate developers coming to get a piece of the pie in Ottawa, including Urban Capital and Lamb Development Corp, but not much has been said about the Toronto architects who are influencing the urban identity of the city.

What Urban Capital and Lamb Developments have in common is their relationship with Core Architects.

Core is influencing Ottawa's urban identity conceiving such buildings as East Market, The Mondrian, and Central Phase 1 and if everything goes as planned they'll be adding four more projects to their portfolio in the capital over the next few years.

Waiting in the wings are Urban Capital's Central phases 2 and 3, and Lamb Developments' Gotham and SoBa. I'm personally excited about SoBa because it will bring a brand of architecture to our city that we've never seen before and it will be located in a neighbourhood that has great potential.

With the Lamb projects Core seems to be going in a very cool and trendy direction compared to their previous industrial look for Urban Capital. And with Brad Lamb and his partner Fortress Real Capital looking to scoop up more land we can expect to see more cool and trendy designs from Core Architects in Ottawa.

For those wanting to see Ottawa shed it's boring, mediocre, and small town image, Core's Toronto designs like The Bond, 401 King West, Nicholas, and Seventy5 give us a glimpse into the exciting architecture that may be coming our way.

Ottawa's architectural future is friendly!

Kevin Bourne

reinventingottawa.blogspot.com

Introducing SoBa by Lamb Developments

One condo project I've been highly anticipating is the SoBa (South on Bank) by Lamb Developments and Fortress Real Capital, the same team bringing the Gotham to Centretown. I've been going to the Fortress website about every other day to see if there was any news or renderings for this project. More than anything I was interested to see the calibre of design of the project and how it would add to the urban identity of the city.

To my surprise this morning on the Skyscraper forum a thread was finally opened for the project and I have to say the design is beautiful, actually sexy. Ottawa? Sexy? Yes.

Lamb and Fortress are proposing a 19-storey condo at 203 Catherine Street in an area they are coining SoBa (South on Bank). What's most exciting about this project is its location next to Highway 417.

As we all know, when driving into the city from the west end the views of downtown leave much to be desired. Personally I think they're flat out gross and unappealing. Unlike some cities, our city's main landmark, Parliament Hill, isn't visible from a major highway to provide visitors with an introduction to the city before they settle down.


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I like what this building would communicate to visitors to the city coming in from the 417. It says, "Vibrant, urban, edgy"- words many people wouldn't associate with Ottawa at the moment.

The location is also appealing because of its proximity to the Ottawa Bus Station which may also be developed if Greyhound leaves the station for greener pastures. If it's built that project would include an urban village with 23 and 19-storey condos, townhomes, and retail and office space. Together these two projects would bring even more life to the area.

Brad Lamb and other Toronto developers coming into the Ottawa market is controversial but I actually see it as a good thing. Some of the best building designs that have been proposed over the past year have come from Toronto developers like Mastercraft Starwood and Urban Capital.

While I hope these developers go about things the right way, I also hope they stimulate competition and challenge developers in this market to design better buildings and use better building materials.

Click here to see the powerpoint presentation of the project.

Kevin Bourne

reinventingottawa.blogspot.com

What Ottawa can learn from Cardiff, Wales about public spaces

Recently a local newspaper has been doing interviews with Ottawa city councillors and one of the questions got me thinking, "What is my favourite city outside of Ottawa and Toronto?"  I'm not well travelled so I started reminiscing about my most recent trip which I really enjoyed.  I'd say it's my favourite city of the ones I've been to so far.

It was two years ago at this same time that I travelled to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, for my grandmother's funeral.  I hadn't been to Wales since I was three years old so I welcomed the trip although it was not under the best circumstances.

In hindsight, what I enjoyed most about Cardiff, aside from family, was its public spaces; its pedestrian mall, market, public square, and arcades (which before my trip I thought was a place where you played video games).  Also, the shopping was enticing.

As I look back I can't help but see Cardiff as an example of what Ottawa can be.  We have similar architecture due to our British roots.  We have the market.  We have the pedestrian mall, and there's talk of a public square at the Rideau-Sussex intersection.  Both cities have a canal.  Both cities are completely bilingual with signage in both official languages.  Both cities come across as small towns because they are overshowed by nearby economic hubs- Toronto and London.  What Cardiff seems to have grasped is that you need to invest in your public spaces and they need to flow together into one big space.  In Cardiff the pedestrian mall leads you to the arcades and public square, which lead you to the market and St. David's (voted International Shopping Centre of the Year 2010 by Global Retail Leisure International).

One of the moments I remembered most was being in St. David's Square with a soccer (or football) match playing on a large video screen.  People stood around and talked to each other watching the game.  Looking back I wonder why CBC, who had the rights to World Cup 2010, didn't have a video screen up on Sparks Street where passers by could watch World Cup games for free.  What a great way to gather people.  How vibrant would Sparks Street have been?  I guess it's not in the culture.

I'm not knocking Ottawa; it just so happens that Europeans and North Americans build cities differently.  Europeans seem to build around social interaction while we build for the hustle and bustle.  There are some things we can learn from our friends across the Atlantic and there are some things they can learn from us.

Ottawa is a good city and it has the right ingredients to be great.  Below you'll find pictures of Cardiff's public spaces and buildings.  Note the similarities between the two cities.  Enjoy!

Kevin Bourne
reinventingottawa.blogspot.com

Great Architecture is on Ottawa's Horizon

Having been born and raised in Toronto, I have come to expect bold and great architecture.  Now living in Ottawa, one of my pet peeves is the apparent conservatism, or blah, when it comes to architecture and land-use.

Architecture helps to build a city's brand.  Different industries use different types of buildings; government, technology, arts, sports, etc.  You can tell a lot about a city and its industries by its architecture.  Is the city virbant and risky, or conservative and old school?

I would have to say that a lot of Ottawa's architecture can be described by the latter, but there are some bright spots on the horizon.  Charlesfort Developments is setting itself apart with what has been called "Chicago-style" architecture that is breaking the mold, as seen in Hudson Park, the Continental and soon, the Lisgar Apartments.  These towers are literally outside the typical box, with Chicago-style spires, and segments to break up the building.  Other bright spots include the new SOHO projects springing up all over the city, the 90 George and Mondrian high-rises, and the up and coming high-design mid-rise condo, 360 Lofts.

The new Ottawa Convention Centre, with Canada's largest curved glass wall, is probably one of Ottawa's biggest architectural victories since the Parliament buildings.  Beside being on budget and on schedule, it's breaking away from Ottawa's reputation as a conservative city, but sadly people don't seem as open to outside the box architecture in high-rises.

In a recent visit to Mississauga, Ontario, where I lived for 16 years, I was able to check up on the status of the Absolute World project originally nicknamed "The Marilyn Monroe Buildings".  I remember when an Asian participant in the international design competition produced this design.  I thought, "It will never happen."  Well, I was wrong.  Whenever I visit Mississauga and see this building I'm proud of my former home, but I'm also slightly disappointed.  Disappointed that the odds of seeing this kind of project in Ottawa is not probable (but I'll keep praying).