DESIGN JURY HONORS MACKAY HOUSE (THE OTTAWA CITIZEN, 2009)
(By Maria Cook) – Exceptional urban projects get their due with awards.
sented awards of excellence in urban design on Monday evening to a Queensway-facing office building, a singlefamily house in Centretown and a condo complex in New Edinburgh. Ottawa’s first Children’s Garden, created by community volunteers in Old Ottawa East, received a special prize from the jury, which said “the garden is imaginative and uses delight and whimsy in defining a community space.” There were 32 submissions for the 2009 Urban Design Awards. Three independent judges recognized 10 projects in four categories: urban infill; public places and civic spaces; urban elements; and student projects. The winning projects “contribute to a great streetscape, contribute to our ecological health and in some cases they improve our mental health,” Peter Hume, chairman of the city’s planning committee, said during the awards ceremony at Arts Court. Chamberlain Offices at 76 Chamberlain Ave., by architect James Colizza, was among the three recipients of an award of excellence. Located between the Queensway and Central Park in the Glebe, “this project is a skilful solution to a challenging site that is shaped by somewhat harsh, toxic urban conditions,” the jury said. A new house at 57 Lewis St. is the first building on the north side of Lewis Street, where there are only backyards and parking. “This project creates a new type of street façade and is a paradigm shift for this portion of Lewis Street,” the jury wrote. The 2,100-square-foot house was designed by Jacques Hamel, whose proposed three-storey condo building at 112 Queen Elizabeth Dr. is opposed by neighbours. MacKay House, a fivestorey condominium building at 295 MacKay St. in New Edinburgh, designed by architect Barry Hobin, received high praise. “The project is skilfully proportioned and scaled, and develops a clear sense of rhythm,” the jury said. “If I lived in this neighbourhood, I would be happy the Mackay House was built.”
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