Canadian Architect August 2012

$6.95 aug/12 v.57 n.08

Peripheral Visions

Pub Canadian Architect 9" x 11.25"

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16 University of sherBrooke longUeUil campUs

Burford, Pearson, ThurroTT

MarTin Tessler

Marc craMer

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news

illiamson Chong Architects receive W Professional Prix de Rome; call for submissions to the Redefining the West Coast Spirit exhibition.

a new saTelliTe caMPus for The universiTy of sherBrooke in a MonTreal suBurB exPands The noTion of accessiBle educaTion while offering The PoTenTial To caTalyze develoPMenT in The area. teXt ricardo l. casTro

28 insites

23 oppenheimer park

The MeTiculously considered redesign of oPPenheiMer Park in vancouver’s downTown easTside engages The disParaTe coMMuniTies in This neighBourhood, Bringing viTaliTy and oPTiMisM To iTs residenTs. teXt Tanya souThcoTT

T he advancement of regenerative sustainability is one of the clear benefits of the 100-Mile House competition, presented by Sean Ruthen.

33 calendar al McwilliaMs

Venice Biennale in Architecture begins; deadline for Expressions of Interest and Qualifications for the Inuit Art and Learning Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

34 Backpage

augusT 2012, v.57 n.08

The NaTioNal Review of DesigN aND PRacTice/ The JouRNal of RecoRD of aRchiTecTuRe caNaDa | Raic

Ian Chodikoff discusses the Royal Canadian Navy Monument along the Ottawa River.

cover universiTy of sherBrooke caMPus in longueuil, QueBec By Marosi + Troy, Jodoin laMarre PraTTe, laBBé archiTecTes en consorTiuM. PhoTograPh By Marc craMer.

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dezeen

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new London arChIteCture ChaIr Peter Murray sPorts a t-shIrt bearInG the naMes of the arChIteCts who Made the London oLyMPICs a reaLIty. AbovE

The various televised events of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games provided viewers around the world with over two weeks of the dramatic highs and lows of competitive sport.

For years, the City of London and other munici­ palities in the UK have been anxiously prepar­ ing for this highly anticipated and lucrative event where billions of pounds have been spent not only on building the sporting venues them­ selves, but on housing for the athletes and on improving transportation infrastructure. While event organizers and politicians have received much praise in the media for organizing the Games, we haven’t heard much from the archi­ tects who have dedicated years of hard work to make this ultimate sporting event a reality.

For months, architects, engineers and build­ ing product suppliers have been calling on the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the Olym­ pic Delivery Authority (ODA) to end the gag order that prevents companies involved in ac­ tually building the London 2012 Summer Olym­ pics from publicizing their work. The reason for this publication ban, in case you are wondering, is to protect the rights of major sponsors.

More than 40 architectural practices have helped design the venues, the Olympic Park and the Athletes’ Village, but only those who have paid to sponsor the Olympics are allowed to boast about their achievements. For this reason, architects like Zaha Hadid and Sir Michael Hop­ kins are prohibited from entering their Olympic projects for awards, publishing photos of completed venues, and even exhibiting photos of their work until 2013. To disregard the gag order risks legal prosecution. Olympic organiz­ ers most certainly relied upon their architects 6 cAnAdiAn­ArchitEct 08/12

to complete the task of designing the various sports venues, so it seems shameful that these architects have been denied the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments. Moreover, with the eyes of the world trained on London, it’s good business for the city to celebrate the architecture industry, as the architecture of the Games represents a valuable cultural export.

The reason why the architects, engineers and building product suppliers agreed to the gag order when they accepted their commissions for the Olympic Games is obvious: they wanted the job. Jim Heverin, a partner at Zaha Hadid Architects (the firm that designed the Aquatics Centre in East London), was quoted in The Guardian: “It is hard to understand how some­ body providing tiles or doors is going to ambush Adidas or BMW by marketing their involvement in the Games.” When architects are prevented from entering their projects for important awards programs such as the Civic Trust Award, or when firms such as DSDHA cannot promote their tower for the Athletes’ Village as a new model for social housing, their efforts go un­ rewarded while also running the risk of miss­ ing out on future business opportunities al­ together. “Imagine the impact on the world if our architects and designers had been invited to take a bow at the opening ceremony,” noted highly respected architecture critic Paul Finch.

During the Olympics, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) president Angela Brady approached Ed Vaizey, the British Minis­ ter for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, asking him to wear a T­shirt promo­ ting all the architects who are banned from promoting their Olympic work—an initiative co­ developed by Peter Murray, Chair of an organiz­ ation called New London Architecture. Vaizey agreed to wear the shirt to a creative industries event, but failed to persuade the Olympic au­ thorities to end the gag order. Brady has con­ tinued her efforts in bringing attention to the Olympic organizers’ extreme prohibition, but has remained unsuccessful thus far.

While British Prime Minister David Cameron has supported calls for firms working on Olympic contracts to be allowed to publicize their involvement in the Games, it is unlikely that anything will be done until at least October.

This is unfortunate, as by that time, the camera crews will have been long gone, and the world’s attention will have shifted to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Perhaps by then, architects will be able to take at least some credit for the tremendous work required in making such an enormous celebration of elite athletic achievement possible.

Ian ChodIkoff

ichodikoff@cAnAdiAnArchitEct.coM

­Editor Ian ChodIkoff, OAA, FRAIC AssociAtE­Editor LesLIe Jen, MRAIC EditoriAl­Advisors John MCMInn, AADIpl. MarCo PoLo, OAA, FRAIC contributing­Editors GavIn affLeCk, OAQ, MRAIC herbert enns, MAA, MRAIC douGLas MaCLeod, nCARb rEgionAl­corrEspondEnts Halifax ChrIstIne MaCy, OAA Regina bernard fLaMan, SAA MontReal davId theodore CalgaRy davId a. down, AAA Winnipeg herbert enns, MAA VanCouVeR adeLe weder publishEr toM arkeLL 416-510-6806 AssociAtE­publishEr GreG PaLIouras 416-510-6808 circulAtion­MAnAgEr beata oLeChnowICz 416-442-5600 ext. 3543 custoMEr­sErvicE MaLkIt Chana 416-442-5600 ext. 3539 production JessICa Jubb grAphic­dEsign sue wILLIaMson vicE­prEsidEnt­of­cAnAdiAn­publishing aLex PaPanou prEsidEnt­of­businEss­inforMAtion­group bruCe CreIGhton hEAd­officE 80 vaLLeybrook drIve, toronto, on M3b 2s9 telepHone 416-510-6845 faCsiMile 416-510-5140 e-mail editors@canadianarchitect.com Web site www.canadianarchitect.com Canadian architect is published monthly by bIG Magazines LP, a div. of Glacier bIG holdings Company Ltd., a leading Canadian information company with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-tobusiness information services. the editors have made every reasonable effort to provide accurate and authoritative information, but they assume no liability for the accuracy or completeness of the text, or its fitness for any particular purpose. subscription Rates Canada: $54.95 plus applicable taxes for one year; $87.95 plus applicable taxes for two years (hst – #809751274rt0001).

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Postmaster: please forward forms 29b and 67b to 80 valleybrook dr, toronto, on Canada M3b 2s9. Printed in Canada. all rights reserved. the contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the consent of the copyright owner. from time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: telephone 1-800-668-2374 facsimile 416-442-2191 e-mail privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca Mail Privacy officer, business Information Group, 80 valleybrook dr, toronto, on Canada M3b 2s9 MeMbeR of tHe Canadian business pRess MeMbeR of tHe audit buReau of CiRCulations publiCations Mail agReeMent #40069240 issn 1923-3353 (online) issn 0008-2872 (pRint)

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CONCRETE BUILDINGS CAN USE ALMOST A THIRD LESS ENERGY FOR HEATING AND COOLING. As operational energy requirements make up 85% of a building’s total energy use, this makes concrete both cost-effective and energy-efficient.

news Projects design unveiled for canada’s largest police training campus.

Stantec has unveiled the design for the Alberta Public Safety and Law Enforcement Training Centre (APSLETC) in Fort Macleod, Alberta, which will be the first training centre of its kind in Canada. The APSLETC integrates building and landscape design into a cohesive campus that meets the training needs of law enforcement agencies across North America.

The design provides classrooms and indoor simulations, along with combat and advanced driving skills training facilities. A design-build proposal for the APSLETC from Bird DesignBuild Construction Inc. and Stantec Architecture Ltd. was selected by Alberta Infrastructure and the province’s Solicitor General in July 2012. The APSLETC will cover more than a halfsection of land (approximately 340 acres), and it will be comprised of a residence building, simulation labs, classrooms, a mock courtroom, mock processing unit, indoor and outdoor shooting ranges, an indoor urban streetscape, an urban village and rural farm scenarios, high- and low-speed test pads and a forest scenario. Details are currently being finalized with the province and construction is expected to begin later this summer with completion scheduled for the fall of 2014.

awards williamson chong architects receive Professional Prix de rome.

The Canada Council for the Arts has honoured Toronto-based Williamson Chong Architects with the $50,000 Professional Prix de Rome for their project entitled Living Wood. They will explore innovative wood technology within a broader cultural and ecological context while focusing on a new product called cross-laminated timber (CLT). CLT is created by stacking small wooden boards (taken from trees in sustainably managed forests) and gluing them together to create an exceptionally strong and versatile product. Digital fabrication tools (called Computer Numerically Controlled milling machines) allow manufacturers to sculpt this wood in a variety of shapes—including organic forms—which are used to create wonderfully distinctive buildings. The prize will enable the firm’s partners to travel to Europe and Asia to visit buildings and production facilities and meet with manufacturers, researchers, designers and writers. They will give lectures about their work as they travel and share lessons learned upon their return. Administered by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Professional

Prix de Rome in Architecture recognizes excellent achievement in Canadian architectural practice. It is awarded to a young architectural firm that has completed its first buildings and demonstrated exceptional artistic potential.

The prize allows the winners to travel to other parts of the world to hone their skills, develop their creative practice and strengthen their presence on the international scene. The project can involve multiple trips to a number of destinations, spread over a two-year period. Betsy Williamson, Shane Williamson and Donald Chong are the partners that make up Williamson Chong Architects, a design and architecture firm. Their collective interest in architectural craft is expressed through the synthesis of new technology with traditional methods of construction, and their shared ambition is to create well-detailed modern environments that shape positive and engaging experiences. Williamson Chong considers projects as opportunities to explore the intricate relationship between site, program and materiality. The firm’s portfolio varies from institutional projects and urban design strategies to residential architecture and furnishings. Their work is both local and international, providing them opportunities to engage in Toronto’s urban growth as well as in broader cultural exchanges and environmental issues. Williamson Chong has been recognized with numerous awards from the Ontario Association of Architects, the City of Toronto and the Design Exchange. They have also received the Ronald J. Thom Award for Early Design Achievement from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Young Architect’s Prize from the Architectural League of New York. http://canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2012/ cl129869462951570935.htm

aBoVe­Shane­WilliamSon,­DonalD­Chong­ anD­BetSy­WilliamSon­of­WilliamSon­ Chong­arChiteCtS­reCeive­the­preStigiouS­prix­De­rome­for­2012.

Paul raff studio awarded the ronald j. thom award for early design achievement.

Paul Raff Studio has been awarded the Ronald J. Thom Award for Early Design Achievement for a decade of building experiments in sustainable architecture. The $10,000 award is given by the Canada Council for the Arts every two years to a candidate in the early stages of his or her career who demonstrates outstanding talent or potential in architectural design and a sensitivity to architecture’s allied arts, crafts and professions, including landscape, interior and furniture design, and decorative and graphic arts.

This prize acknowledges the Paul Raff Studio practice, which is devoted to creating lyrical and evocative relationships between people and place. Renowned for imaginatively deploying low-cost, locally sourced materials, Raff plays with the energy of the sun, and in doing so, creates mean ing ful and ecologically sound designs throughout Canada and abroad. In addition to designing buildings, his firm collaborates with other architects, designers and artists on the design of public and architecturally integrated artworks that push the limits of and contribute to the field of architecture. Founding principal Paul Raff spent his childhood primarily in Quebec and Saskatchewan, to which he attributes his interest in landscape and atmosphere.

Now based in Toronto, Paul Raff Studio assists clients to create projects where art becomes life.

Projects include residential, cultural and commercial architecture, multi-media and public art, private gardens and special features. They 08/12­­canadian architect

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are well known for projects such as the multiaward-winning Cascade House, a family residence that unites environmental sustainability with artistic beauty. Paul Raff Studio has been published internationally, and has been the subject of three television documentaries.

They have won numerous awards such as two Allied Arts Awards for lifetime achievement, one from the Ontario Association of Architects, and the other from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. http://canadacouncil.ca/news/releases/2012/ cl129869462951570935.htm

comPetitions 11th tile of spain awards for architecture and interior design.

The competition for the Tile of Spain Awards for Architecture and Interior Design is organized and promoted by ASCER, the Spanish Ceramic Tile Manufacturers’ Association. The prizes aim to improve awareness and understanding of ceramic tiles made in Spain amongst architects and interior designers, and to promote their use by these professionals. This competition is held annually and is open to projects and professionals in Spain and worldwide. Entries must make

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significant use of Spanish ceramic floor and/or wall tiles in the formal part of the building. The jury comprises prominent national and international professionals as it does every year. This year, the world-renowned Spanish architect Juan Navarro Baldeweg will chair the jury, which is comprised of Portuguese architect Francisco Aires Mateus; Luis Martínez SantaMaría, Professor of Projects at the Technical Architecture School in Madrid; Joseph Grima, Director of the design and architecture magazine Domus; French designer Matali Crasset; cultural journalist of El País Anatxu Zabal beascoa; and Ramón Monfort of the Architects’ Association of Valencia. Registration is now open and the submission deadline is October 23, 2012. The total prize fund is 42,000 Euros for three categories: Architecture, Interior Design and Degree Project in Architecture. For the two main categories of Architecture and Interior Design, each winner will be awarded 18,000 Euros. For the Degree Project category, aimed at young students at advanced technical schools of architecture in Spain, the prize fund totals 6,000 Euros. The jury is permitted to issue two special mentions in each category. www.tileofspainawards.com/presentacion. aspx?lang=en-GB&tipo=arquitectura-interiorismo

what’s new call for submissions: Redefining the West Coast Spirit.

The Architectural Institute of British Columbia invites submissions for its upcoming exhibition entitled Redefining the West Coast Spirit—Emerging West Coast Firms with Connections to the Land. This is an open call to AIBC-registered firms that represent emerging West Coast talent. This exhibition will highlight the work of new and emerging architectural firms demonstrating leadership and commitment to West Coast Modernism. Submissions should include whole projects, which may be buildings, spaces, landscapes and places. Subject matter is not limited to actualized projects; both completed and purely ideas-based representations are welcome.

Submissions should be sent to the AIBC offices at #100–440 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 2N5. All submissions must be received by Wednesday, September 5, 2012. While entry is open to all AIBC-registered firms, preference will be given to emerging BC firms that have maintained a practice for between three and 10 years. http://aibcenews.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/callfor-submissions-redefining-the-west-coast-spiritexhibition/

call for expressions of interest and Qualifications for new inuit art and Learning centre at the winnipeg art Gallery.

The Winnipeg Art Gallery’s Board of Governors recently voted unanimously in favour of proceeding with a public call for expressions of interest and qualifications for the design of the Gallery’s new Inuit Art and Learning Centre (IALC). The Centre will house the WAG’s celebrated collection of contemporary Inuit art, the largest of its kind in the world, and the studio art and learning programs. A selection committee has been assembled to review submissions, establish a shortlist of architectural teams, and select the winning team for the historic building project. As part of its architectural planning process over the last year, the WAG retained acclaimed Toronto architect, teacher and author George Baird as architectural advisor. Baird will continue to advise the Executive Director and Board, guiding the public call and selection process, as well as the announcement and commissioning of the winning team. The following individuals have agreed to serve on the selection committee: George Baird, founding partner, Baird Sampson Neuert Architects; Stephen Borys, Executive Director, WAG; Herbert Enns, Director, Experimental Media Research Group,

Professor of Architecture, University of Manitoba, and Director, Cisco Innovation Centre for Collaborative Technologies, University of Winnipeg; Naomi Levine, lawyer and President, WAG Board of Governors; Brigitte Shim, Principal, Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, Inc.; Richard Yaffe, Partner, Aikins, MacAulay & Thorvaldson, LLP, and Chair, WAG Foundation; and Mirko Zardini, Executive Director and Chief Curator, Canadian Centre for Architecture.

Over the last three years, the WAG has invested over $4 million in building improvements and upgrades to the existing Tyndall stone-clad Modernist edifice designed by Gustavo da Roza over 45 years ago, at all points endeavouring to preserve the character and integrity of the architecture. Last year, the penthouse and rooftop sculpture garden were restored to their original Modernist design. Now, attention will turn to the south end of the Gallery’s triangular property. Architectural teams interested in the project are invited to submit expressions of interest in and qualifications to undertake the project by the deadline of 3:00pm on Tuesday, September 4, 2012. Submissions should be sent to the following address: Office of the Director, Winnipeg Art Gallery, 300 Memorial Boulevard, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3C 1V1.

http://wag.ca/about/press/media-releases/ read,release/227/call-for-expressions-of-interestand-qualifications-from-architectural-teams-for-anew-inuit-art-and-learning-centre canada council accepting applications for the 2014 Venice Biennale in architecture.

Excitement is building for the nationally inclusive project entitled Migrating Landscapes that is Canada’s representative at the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture, which kicks off at the end of this month. The Venice Biennale offers an exciting opportunity to showcase Canadian excellence in architecture, as well as an occasion to share ideas with peers from around the world. The Canada Council for the Arts is now accepting proposals for Canadian representation at the 2014 Venice Biennale in Architecture, to be shown in the Canada Pavilion in Venice and in Canada. The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2012. To receive an information package and discuss the specific challenges of this event, please contact Program Officer Brigitte Desrochers via e-mail at brigitte.desrochers@canadacouncil.ca or by telephone at 1.800.263.5588. www.canadacouncil.ca/visualarts/Architecture/ pq129304202189894189.htm

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2012 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

www.CanadianArchitect.com/Awards/2012-Entry-Form

ENTRY DEADlINE: ThURSDAY, SEpTEMBER 13, 2012

Wire Mesh Building Envelopes Halifax Stanfield International Airport | Los Angeles Police Department | Aurora GO Transit Station Greg Bryson

1-800-325-5993 Ext. 1257

CANADA greg@weavingideas.net

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I S S u E 3 4. 3 SuMMER/AuTuMN 2012

New Moriyama RAIC International Prize encourages Canadian architects to aspire higher Architecture Canada | RAIC and the RAIC Foundation announced a major new award in architecture called the Moriyama RAIC International Prize during the annual Festival. The Prize is named after its benefactor Raymond Moriyama, FRAIC, who made it possible with a generous endowment of $200,000.

The Prize will be awarded every two years in two categories. The first will be presented to a Canadian or international Architect for an outstanding built project, and be selected by juried competition.

The second will be presented to a nonarchitect from anywhere in the world for outstanding contribution to architecture, and be selected by juried nomination. The inaugural Moriyama RAIC International Prize will be announced in late 2013.

“My hope is that this will help raise not only RAIC’s stature internationally but also the stature of Canada and inspire all Canadians and Canadian architects to aspire higher,” said Mr. Moriyama, during the announcement.

More details about the Moriyama RAIC International Prize will be available at www.raic.org this fall.

2012 Board Members President David Craddock, FRAIC 1st Vice-President and President-Elect Paul E. Frank, FRAIC 2nd Vice-President and Treasurer Wayne De Angelis, FRAIC Immediate Past President Stuart Howard, PP/FRAIC Regional Directors Wayne De Angelis, FRAIC (British Columbia/Yukon) Samuel Oboh, MRAIC (Alberta/NWT) Michael Cox, MRAIC (Saskatchewan/Manitoba) Leslie Klein, FRAIC (Ontario South and West) Allan Teramura, MRAIC (Ontario North and East/ Nunavut) Jean-Pierre Pelletier, FIRAC (Quebec) Edmond Koch, FRAIC (Atlantic)

Joint offering at IIDEX puts the focus on architecture discuss “socially conscious” and “socially sustainable” projects; moderated by Ian Chodikoff, FRAIC, editor of Canadian Architect magazine.

Architecture Canada | RAIC has joined forces for the first time with Interior Designers of Canada (IDC) as co-presenters of IIDEx/NeoCon Canada, Canada’s National Design + Architecture Exposition & Conference Sept. 20-21 at the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto. The collaboration offers a significant new section – the Architecture Canada Expo, which will focus on interior architectural and technology products.

It also means some keynote speakers of particular interest to the profession – three of the world’s leading practitioners of socially sustainable architecture: Janna Levitt, FRAIC, of Levitt goodman Architects, Michael Murphy of MASS Design group, and John Peterson of Public Architecture will

As well the conference will feature a 2012 National urban Design Awards ceremony and host a multi-disciplinary Design Charette for Students.

More information can be found on RAIC’s web site.

E-learning online through RAIC The first of RAIC’s E-learning series, Total Precast Concrete Structures, developed in partnership with the Canadian Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute and adapted from their very successful Concrete Thinking course, is now available online for all members.

Chancellor of College of Fellows Barry Johns , FRAIC Council of Canadian University Schools of Architecture (CCUSA) Kendra Schank Smith, MRAIC Director Representing Interns and Intern Architects W. Steve Boulton, MRAIC Executive Director Jim McKee Editor Sylvie Powell Architecture Canada | RAIC 330-55 Murray St. Ottawa ON K1N 5M3 Tel.: 613-241-3600 Fax: 613-241-5750 E-mail: info@raic.org

www.raic.org

See RAIC’s Service portal for registration – portal.raic.org.

MASThEAD PhoTo: LANguAgE TECHNOLOgIES RESEARCH CENTRE AT uNIvERSITy OF QuEBEC IN OuTAOuAIS | MENKèS SHOONER DAgENAIS LETOuRNEux ARCHITECTS / FORTIN CORRIvEAu SALvAIL ARCHITECTuRE + DESIgN | PHOTO: MICHEL BRuNELLE

N u M é R O 3 4. 3 éTé/AuTOMNE 2012 Conseil d’administration de 2012 Président David Craddock, FRAIC

Le nouveau Prix international Moriyama-IRAC encourage les architectes canadiens à viser plus haut Architecture Canada | IRAC et la Fondation de l’IRAC sont fiers d’annoncer un nouveau prix d’importance en architecture, le Prix international Moriyama-IRAC. Le prix porte le nom de Raymond Moriyama, FRAIC, qui a rendu sa création possible grâce à un généreux don de 200 000 $.

Le prix sera attribué tous les deux ans dans deux catégories. Dans la première catégorie, il sera présenté à un architecte canadien ou étranger pour la réalisation d’un projet exceptionnel, sélectionné dans le cadre d’un concours jugé par un jury. Dans la deuxième catégorie, il sera remis à une personne de partout dans le monde qui n’est pas architecte et qui sera sélectionnée par un jury pour sa contribution exceptionnelle à l’architecture. Le Prix international MoriyamaIRAC sera annoncé pour la première fois à la fin de 2013.

Premier vice-président et président élu Paul E. Frank, FRAIC Deuxième vice-président et trésorier Wayne De Angelis, FRAIC Président sortant de charge Stuart Howard, PP/FRAIC Administrateurs régionaux Wayne De Angelis, FRAIC (Colombie-Britannique/Yukon) Samuel Oboh, MRAIC (Alberta/T.N.-O.)

« J’espère que ce prix contribuera non seulement à rehausser l’image de l’IRAC à l’échelle internationale, mais également l’image du Canada, et à inspirer tous les Canadiens et les architectes canadiens qui aspirent à des sommets », a déclaré M. Moriyama lors de l’annonce.

Michael Cox, MRAIC (Saskatchewan/Manitoba) Leslie Klein, FRAIC (Sud et Ouest de l’Ontario) Allan Teramura, MRAIC (Est et Nord de l’Ontario/ Nunavut)

D’autres détails concernant le Prix international Moriyama-IRAC seront affichés sur le site www.raic.org à l’automne.

Jean-Pierre Pelletier, FIRAC (Québec) Edmond Koch, FRAIC (Atlantique) Chancelier du Collège des fellows Barry Johns, FRAIC

IIDEX met l’accent sur l’architecture, grâce à une nouvelle collaboration sociale » et de projets « socialement durables ». Le modérateur sera Ian Chodikoff, FRAIC, rédacteur en chef du magazine Canadian Architect.

Conseil canadien des écoles universitaires d’architecture (CCÉUA) Kendra Schank Smith, MRAIC Conseiller représentant les stagiaires W. Steve Boulton, MRAIC Directeur général Jim McKee Rédactrice en chef Sylvie Powell Architecture Canada | IRAC 55, rue Murray, bureau 330 Ottawa (Ontario) K1N 5M3 Tél. : 613-241-3600 Téléc. : 613-241-5750 Courriel : info@raic.org

www.raic.org PhoTo EN CARToUChE DE TITRE : CENTRE DE RECHERCHE EN TECHNOLOgIES LANgAgIèRES DE L’uNIvERSITé Du QuéBEC EN OuTAOuAIS | MENKèS SHOONER DAgENAIS LETOuRNEux ARCHITECTES / FORTIN CORRIvEAu SALvAIL ARCHITECTuRE + DESIgN | PHOTO : MICHEL BRuNELLE

Architecture Canada | IRAC s’est joint pour la première fois à Designers d’intérieur du Canada (IDC) comme coprésentateur de l’événement IIDEx/NeoCon Canada, la conférence et exposition nationale du design et de l’architecture au Canada qui se tiendra les 20 et 21 septembre au Direct Energy Centre de l’Exhibition Place à Toronto. Cette collaboration donnera lieu à une nouvelle section d’importance – l’Expo Architecture Canada – qui portera principalement sur l’architecture des intérieurs et les produits technologiques.

Cette collaboration donnera également lieu à des allocutions d’intérêt spécial pour la profession et à un panel réunissant trois des principaux chefs de file de l’architecture socialement durable : Janna Levitt, FRAIC, de Levitt goodman Architects, Michael Murphy de MASS Design group, et John Peterson de Public Architecture qui discuteront de projets « empreints d’une conscience

Par ailleurs, la conférence accueillera la cérémonie de remise des Prix nationaux de design urbain 2012 et une charrette de design multidisciplinaire à l’intention des étudiants.

Pour un supplément d’information, consultez le site Web de l’IRAC.

Apprentissage en ligne par l’entremise de l’IRAC Le premier module – Bâtiments faits entièrement de béton préfabriqué – d’une série de séminaires en ligne de l’IRAC créés en partenariat avec l’Institut canadien du béton préfabriqué/précontraint et adaptés à partir du cours Penser béton qui a connu un franc succès, est maintenant offert en ligne à tous les membres.

Pour s’inscrire, voir le portail de services de l’IRAC – portal.raic.org.

the Vertical Field

a new satellite campus For the uniVersity oF sherbrooke in a montreal suburb expands the notion oF accessible education while oFFering the potential to catalyze deVelopment in the area.

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University of sherbrooke, new LongUeUiL campUs, LongUeUiL, QUebec architects marosi + troy, Jodoin Lamarre pratte, Labbé architectes en consortiUm text ricardo L. castro photos marc cramer proJect

The new satellite branch of the University of Sherbrooke just outside of Montreal in Longueuil, Quebec, illustrates a current construction trend among institutions of higher education, namely the building of satellite campuses. It also exemplifies a cunning and imaginative way of choreographing a difficult program. The project received a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence in 2007, and in 2011, the Jury’s First Prize and the Prix d’excellence from the Ordre des architectes du Québec.

This new satellite university complex is located in Longueuil, a city separated from Montreal by the St. Lawrence River. Designated by the City of Longueuil to become a new academic centre, the university cam-

opposite a rooftop oasis on top of the new campUs’s centraL podiUm attempts to introdUce a cLoistered Landscape to this sUbUrban site. aboVe the University of sherbrooke’s signatUre green coLoUr effectiveLy provides a distinct identity and atmosphere to this centraL atriUm space.

pus is located in a sector of the city intended to become Longueuil’s new downtown.

Responsible for the design and development of the project was the consortium of three Montreal-based architecture firms: Marosi + Troy architectes, Jodoin Lamarre Pratte et associés architectes, and Labbé architectes. These three firms have created an architecture that succeeds on many levels and which encompasses ecological, sensorial and symbolic architectural aspects, not to mention a number of societal and functional constraints. It is worth mentioning here that another similarly successful project, the Université de Montréal campus in the city of Laval 08/12 canadian architect

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top the new tower-and-podiUm strUctUre has immediateLy become a Landmark for the area—the Landscaped strip at the intersection heLps differentiate the proJect from a typicaL commerciaL high-rise. aboVe one of the many dynamic stUdent LoUnge spaces peppered throUghoUt this verticaL campUs.

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was also designed and developed by the joint venture of Marosi + Troy and Jodoin Lamarre Pratte et associés, in collaboration with the Laval-based architecture firm of Giasson Farregut architectes.

Both the Longueuil and Laval campuses follow the precedent of Quebec City-based Université Laval, which established its Montreal campus in 1878, and later became the Université de Montréal in 1919. Elsewhere in Canada, there are other odd situations where the satellite campus has been successfully realized. In British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, which is based in Burnaby, a city located just east of Vancouver, has established satellite campuses both in downtown Vancouver and in the nearby and actively growing municipality of Surrey.

In recent years, the rapid development of online communication technologies has only furthered the possibilities of distance education.

When coupled with the swift and intense growth of transportation hubs on urban peripheries, it is not surprising to see a significant boom in branch campuses across North America. The purpose of these branch campuses is to attract students who have difficulty accessing traditional venues that deliver higher education due to geographical, financial, family and other constraints. Peripheral nodes of urban transport provide ideal locations for branch campus developments, given the large numbers of individuals who circulate through them during their daily journey from suburban to more central city areas, and vice versa. Furthermore, there are the economic incentives for private- and publicsector developers who consider the opportunity to build satellite universities as catalysts for new developments in outlying urban areas.

At the University of Sherbrooke in Longueuil, the architects confronted tremendous challenges from an unusually tight but functionally attractive site. They were able to recreate the operational and experiential qualities found in a traditional campus while concentrating those qualities into a glassy high-rise building complex. This resulting “vertical field,” as it were, contains airy interior spaces beautifully orchestrated to provide a sense of comfort and orientation. From the choice of indoor materials such as glass, wood and matte-finished dark steel, to the skillful articulation of details such as guardrails, flooring and curtain walls, the architecture of the project speaks of care and attention to craft throughout.

The academic building is essentially a twophase project encompassing 52,000 square metres of multidisciplinary facilities large enough to accommodate 2,500 students, faculty and staff. The first phase includes 40,000 square metres required for the stacking of three underground parking levels for 500 cars, along

with a two-storey podium that is topped off with a 14-storey tower. The second phase will eventually be built atop the south side of the podium, and will provide another 12,000 square metres of floor area.

The variety and complexity of the program becomes evident after studying the different functions and departmental requirements from diverse faculties, namely law, business administration, computer science, education, engineering, physical education, social sciences, theology, music and medicine. The built program also required additional areas for other institutional partners, commercial venues, and a wide variety of spaces ranging from classrooms and student meeting rooms to leased space.

One of the project’s most important design features is the 1,100-square-metre public atrium developed in partnership with the City of Longueuil. More than an atrium, this space can be considered a reinterpretation of a traditional European arcade, an ideal place for flâneurs.

Running along the west side of the podium, the atrium is a full two storeys in height and serves as a buffer zone that connects the entrance to the university with the building’s commercial areas, along with the bus and metro terminal areas to the south and west respectively. The atrium extends out to Place Charles Lemoyne on the north end of the site—an open landscaped area at the centre of this new university precinct under development. Hopefully, it will one day become a truly public open space.

At the ground level, the building’s podium houses various commercial spaces, while its second storey is a kind of ambiguous threshold space that separates the academic areas above from the commercial and public zones below.

This level also serves as a grand entrance to the campus itself. As clearly stated in the architects’ brief: “Rising up from the main entrance of the university, the ‘vertical campus promenade’ is conceived as a six-storey vertical volume containing public stairs as well as open and glazed public spaces which interpenetrate with the horizontal university spaces at each level. Conceived as a solution to spatially interlock the tower and base together, it is a dynamic pedestrian promenade of stairs and platforms linking the entrance hall upwards to Level 6, encompassing the major teaching and classroom levels of the campus. This interconnection of these main public and teaching levels is developed as a vertical, almost Piranesian space which transforms midway at Level 3 to interlock with the rooftop oasis garden. At this level, the space acts as a ‘vitrine’ or proscenium opening onto this oasis, wherein the expressive geometries and topography of the garden and the glazed wall interact to create a ‘folded garden.’ Meeting rooms and student common rooms are clustered

top the wide strip of Landscaping is meant to evoke institUtionaL grandiosity. however, the Lack of definition in the Landscape and its weak reLationship to car and pedestrian activity raises QUestions aboUt its effectiveness. aboVe, leFt to right a view expLoring the visUaL tension between the proJect’s two main axes; coLoUrfUL gLazing provides mUch dynamism to this University compLex.

within this space on each level, intensifying the activity and underlining the dialectic of the vertical and horizontal campus.”

The rooftop garden, located on the southwest quadrant of the project, has been designated as an “oasis,” perhaps because it acts as an antidote to the harsh quality of the immediate sur-

roundings. This is one of the project’s pièces de résistance, which provides meeting opportunities and solace similar to a Japanese garden.

A very significant element of those gardens is the use of borrowed distant views – otherwise known by the Japanese term of shakkei. Here, this condition repeats itself innumerable times 08/12 canadian architect

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8 oasis/roof garden N 9 refLecting pooL/rainwater coLLection 10 gLazed roof for atriUm beLow 11 Lanterns

cLassroom entrance Lower LeveL entrance Upper LeveL entrance garden oasis entrance verticaL campUs cafeteria/agora garden cafeteria

a intermodaL bUs station b LongUeUiL metro station

10 café 11 oasis 12 stUdent services 13 foyer 14 atriUm 15 LongUeUiL metro station 16 UndergroUnd parking 17 rUe st-charLes

fUtUre conference centre fUtUre passageway commerciaL space cLassrooms stUdent LoUnge—north stUdent LoUnge—west departmentaL offices verticaL campUs main entry haLL

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main entrance st-charLes entrance eLevators to University tower eLevators to parking University service access zone commerciaL access zone deLiveries atriUm entrance fUtUre commerciaL space

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main entry Lanterns above main entry refLecting pooL verticaL campUs circULation wooden oUtdoor seating and terrace

6 taLL vegetation 7 Low vegetation 8 LUminoUs box 9 Lanterns above stUdent services 10 café

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University of sherbrooke (phase 1) University of sherbrooke (phase 2) oasis atriUm LongUeUiL metro station

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6 bUs terminUs 7 pLace charLes-Lemoyne 8 fUtUre conference centre 9 fUtUre paviLion 10 fUtUre stUdent residence

aerial View

as one ascends the open stairs, revealing the Port of Montreal, the roller-coaster structures of La Ronde amusement park, the Jacques Cartier Bridge, and most majestically behind it all, Mount Royal. The best place to take all of this in is in one of the two-storey public lounges, which protrude out of the building at different heights on all façades. These lounges are effective spatial devices conceived to foster interdepartmental relationships within this newly conceived vertical campus.

The rooftop or “oasis” also serves to establish and symbolically express a new institutional presence within an indifferent territory. In this satellite campus, the architects attempt to create a symbolic link with the main campus in Sherbrooke (located roughly 150 kilometres to the east) through the creation of an artificial topography made of articulated wooden surfaces and platforms, enhanced with areas planted with trees and various plant materials that correspond to those found in the Sherbrooke region. At a sensorial level, the organic materiality of the rooftop is a welcome feature that contrasts positively with that of the playful building envelope comprised of several types of glass and metal. Finally, at the ecological level, the architects use a series of strategies to minimize the project’s environmental impact and energy consumption. Among them, the most relevant features are geothermal heating and cooling, natural ventilation systems, highefficiency glazing and envelope design, rainwater harvesting, and lots of natural lighting strategies.

Projects of this type will hopefully encourage wider public access to and participation in higher education. The University of Sherbrooke satellite campus in Longueuil appears as a powerful precedent for the design of future ventures in this field, and is ultimately a fine example of a comprehensive and holistic approach to architecture. ca Ricardo L. Castro is an Associate Professor at McGill University where he has been teaching since 1982.

client Université de sherbrooke and viLLe de LongUeUiL architect team marosi + troy: martin troy, erik marosi, dominiQUe Laroche, carLo rondina, maxime gagné, JULie charbonneaU, micheLLe chan, andré kirchhoff, mathieU LaroUche, andrea merrett, katsU yamazaki. Jodoin Lamarre pratte: marc LaUrendeaU, LoUis beLLefLeUr, syLvain biLodeaU, germain paradis, gUyLaine beaUdoin, danieL chabot, gérard Lanthier, oLivier miLLien, richard beaUdoin, charLes-andré gagnon. Labbé architectes: eric Labbé, kim Lacroix, andré gagnon, aLexandre pereda. structural s.m. consULtants inc. mechanical/electrical dessaU inc. landscape schème (phiLippe LUpien, phiLippe noLet, aLain Loof) proJect management cima+ contractor pomerLeaU inc. (Lot 1); ebc inc. (Lot 2) code technorm Vertical transport exim acoustics LegaULt & davidson glass engineering verre strUctUreL cpa, benoit cLoUtier area 40,000 m2 budget $115 m completion JanUary 2010

the sUrroUnding context of the University of sherbrooke’s sateLLite campUs. aboVe, extensive efforts have been made to bring a QUiet and pastoraL campUs atmosphere throUgh varioUs Landscape architectUre initiatives; oUtdoor seating is essentiaL in promoting active stUdent interaction and engagement with the eLements.

top

leFt to right

08/12 canadian architect

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vanmaG­phOtO/vancOuver­maGazine

Park Place

the meticulously considered redesign of oPPenheimer Park in VancouVer’s downtown eastside engages the disParate communities in this neighbourhood, bringing Vitality and oPtimism to its residents.

aboVe­the­recently­cOmpleteD­Oppenheimer­park­cOmmunity­activity­hOuse­ has­aDDeD­cOlOur,­playfulness­anD­­ enerGy­tO­this­evOlvinG­part­Of­the­city.

­Oppenheimer­park­activity­centre,­vancOuver,­British­cOlumBia ­mcfarlane­|­Green­|­BiGGar­architecture­+­DesiGn­inc. landscaPe architect­space2place­DesiGn­inc. teXt­tanya­sOuthcOtt Photos­martin­tessler,­unless­Otherwise­nOteD ProJect

architect

On any given day, Oppenheimer Park is alive with activity. The first Saturday of this summer is no exception. In the middle of the open lawn, a water fight breaks out between a youngster and her older brother while a crowd of spectators erupts to the clangs coming from a rowdy horseshoe match across the promenade. A staff member from the community centre hollers out, “Last call for the public washrooms!” as late-afternoon shadows from the historic Japanese cherry trees dance across the curve of the park’s only permanent structure. At 190 square metres, the new elliptical building is small in size, yet sophisticated in program, and

is largely responsible for the atmosphere of civility that welcomes park-goers to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside neighbourhood. Designed by the architectural firm formerly known as McFarlane | Green | Biggar Architecture + Design in concert with space2place Landscape Architects, the new park pavilion and surrounding green space has made Oppenheimer one of the most intensively used parks in the city since reopening just two years ago.

Located at the heart of the city’s first neighbourhood and home to many of its oldest buildings, the civic block between Powell, Cordova, Jackson and Dunlevy Streets was opened as the

Powell Street Grounds in 1902 by Vancouver’s second mayor and eventual namesake of the park, David Oppenheimer. Historically, the park has supported a socially and culturally rich community, albeit economically less advantaged than elsewhere in Vancouver. As the nexus for the Japanese-Canadian community prior to their internment during the Second World War, the heterogeneity of the neighbourhood has also accommodated First Nations and other immigrant populations who were less than welcome elsewhere in the city. An important civic space in the evolution of Vancouver, Oppenheimer Park has served as a staging ground for protests, 08/12­­canadian architect

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space2place

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rallies, ceremonies and memorials while continuing to host the city’s longest-running annual community celebration—the Powell Street Festival.

During the postwar period, this area was largely rezoned for industrial use, and the infrastructure that once supported a thriving community has long been neglected. Over the decades, limited availability of affordable single-room-occupancy (SRO) housing and a decline in job opportunities for unskilled labour, compounded by an increased population suffering from mental health and substance abuse problems, has placed further strains on the neighbourhood. Since the late 1980s, the Downtown Eastside context has become more widely known for its high incidence of poverty, sex trade, crime and violence than its earlier social and cultural vibrancy. In particular, the hard-drug trade and its associated problems have kept many visitors away from Oppenheimer Park, further stigmatizing the area.

Nevertheless, the park has recently become a linchpin for the Downtown Eastside. The drive behind its recent renovation stems from a broader effort to revitalize the area through a gesture of greater inclusivity. In contrast to other civic parks typically designed to discourage vagrancy, the quality of the public realm achieved through improvements to both the landscape and pavilion design respond to the neighbourhood’s unique social context by balancing concerns for safety and maintenance with strategies to respect the needs of lowerincome and homeless groups.

One of the key project objectives was to create incentive for the public to enter the park by breaking down barriers—both physical and perceived—that had discouraged through-traffic in the past. The design team completed an extensive view analysis of the site and surrounding neighbourhood to ensure visibility into and through the park especially from the perimeter sidewalk. Planting is limited to short grasses and trees with high crowns, eliminating moderate and low-lying vegetation that could be used to screen illegal or threatening activity and contraband. With the exception of the baseball diamond backstop (not so much a regulation-size sports field as a tribute to the legendary Asahi, the Japanese-Canadian team based out of Oppenheimer in the early 20th century), all fences came down. Throughout the park, various 24­canadian architect­08/12

surface treatments are used to imply boundaries between different zones of activity which, for example, may delineate between an open playing field, the children’s playground, and the many ball courts, along with sitting and gathering areas. Generous paved paths have since replaced worn desire lines caused by pedestrian movement coming from the street corners through the park. The paths now converge at the new park pavilion, a focal point for the site.

Far from the traditional field house or storage shed, the pavilion or activity house is the product of an intense community consultation process involving both programmatic and design issues guided by the Carnegie Community Centre. The facility includes a multi-purpose activity room, a small servery for food prep and service, an office for park staff, and public washroom facilities. The pavilion offers social, educational, recreational and cultural activities six days a week, and can accommodate a large number of neighbourhood events organized by local community groups.

With no clear front address or obvious street façade, the pavilion is designed as an object in the landscape to be welcoming and approachable from all angles. A building without blind spots or corners, its elliptical form responds directly to a concern for personal security by creating the experience of moving past something safely for those using the park. During the daytime and operating hours, the building physically opens itself to the community. Lightweight aluminum screens slide into the walls, revealing generous covered exterior space carved deep into the building. In contrast to its hard outer shell, the heart of the building is glazed, allowing for continuity between interior and exterior spaces with a clear connection to the park through enhanced visibility. The overhangs provide much needed shelter from Vancouver’s wet climate and expand the usefulness of the building by increasing its programmable area. At night, when both the park and pavilion are closed, low-level interior lighting glows through the translucent screens so that the now taut form becomes a beacon or lantern, thereby creating a presence in the park that feels safe for pedestrians even after dark.

Designed to be a backdrop to the park’s activity, the building itself is modest in materiality and finishes yet distinctly civic in character.

Constructed from simple, durable materials that are easy to clean and maintain, the woodframe structure is an economical and sustainable solution to a more organic form, while the charcoal-coloured porcelain tile cladding helps keep the overall facility low-maintenance and humanely scaled. The interior material palette includes polished concrete radiant-heat floors which provide seamless transitions between in-

side and outside spaces, and floating wood ceilings that bring warmth to the public spaces.

From the exterior, the muted colours are offset by elements of rich golden and rose hues—in the playground structure and washroom doors for example—that tie together built elements and offer another tribute to the Asahi, a word which means “morning sun” in Japanese.

A number of historic elements on the site, such as the Sakura maple trees planted by the Japanese-Canadian community and the carved totem erected by the Squamish Nation have been retained and celebrated within the overall design. The new elements to the park intentionally avoid any cultural affiliation or symbolism that would narrow the experience of the park to that of a specific group. Instead, the focus is on a dynamic space that changes as often as its users do, prioritizing the collective experience of the park as more meaningful and authentic than deferring to prescribed notions of cultural identity.

Officially reopened for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, both the park and pavilion have since been recognized for their design excellence by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects and the Architectural Institute of British Columbia. Modest in scope, this highprofile project sets a clear tone for future growth in the Downtown Eastside community that favours the needs of the area’s low-income residents over rapid, large-scale redevelopment.

With pressure from local developers to increase both height and density restrictions in this lowlying historic neighbourhood, the city has put a moratorium on new development proposals in order to create a comprehensive local area plan through extensive community consultation and asset-mapping exercises. In the interim, pro-

aboVe­at­niGht,­the­transparent­anD­ GlOwinG­paviliOn­serves­as­a­BeacOn— anD­perhaps­a­watchful­eye—in­the­park.

jects which favour social and supportive housing (at a minimum of 60 percent of the total residential units) continue to move ahead with the hopes of both improving the livelihood of those in the area and preventing the displacement of long-term residents.

While the reality of gentrification threatens the stability of the existing community, a variety of housing types and tenure is critical to the community’s long-term prospects. The influx of social housing targets a clear gap in the availability of affordable housing city-wide, but it remains to be seen how much this particular neighbourhood can absorb. With the inevitable growth and development in Vancouver, the solution for Oppenheimer Park depends upon change that is not polarizing, but which benefits all the residents in the community. Oppenheimer Park is an excellent example of a community’s ability to help its most vulnerable make and sustain space for themselves in the city. ca Tanya Southcott is a Vancouver-based architect and writer.

client­vancOuver­BOarD­Of­parks­anD­recreatiOn architect team­steve­mcfarlane,­jean-philippe­DelaGe,­rOB­ Grant,­hOzumi­nakai structural­equiliBrium­cOnsultinG mechanical­jaDe­west­enGineerinG electrical­DmD­assOciates landscaPe­space2place­DesiGn­inc. interiors­mcfarlane­|­Green­|­BiGGar­architecture­+­DesiGn­ inc. contractor­Bynett­cOnstructiOn area­200­m2­ budget­$1.9­m comPletion­sprinG­2010

08/12­­canadian architect

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WHIIDEX? N°154 ARCHITECTURE CANADA EXPO +Architecture Keynote

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insites

the First 100 Miles

A recent ideAs competition stresses the importAnce of gong beyond merely specifying locAl building mAteriAls. teXt

seAn ruthen

Without sounding naively optimistic, 2012 may go down in history as the moment when our collective consciousness came to the realization that we have reached a tipping point with respect to global climate change. Our planet’s rising temperature is melting the ice caps and threatening to release trapped methane from the permafrost, which will contribute to a catastrophic acceleration of global warming. The comprehension of the science behind it has permeated popular culture to such a degree that even young children are capable of grasping the global environmental challenges that we must face. This is a debate that current policy-makers have little interest in addressing, but it remains very much a discussion in which conscientious professionals such as architects must engage.

For as much as architects are responsible for the design and construction of buildings, we are also responsible for specifying the materials used to construct them—materials which are bought and sold in a global marketplace. With this in mind, in the spring of 2012 the Architecture Foundation of British Columbia (AFBC) proposed an ideas competition known as 28 canadian architect 08/12

100 Mile House (not to be confused with 100 Mile House, the small town located within the interior of British Columbia). Central to the purpose of the competition is the following question: “Can we build a single-family home with materials sourced from within 100 miles of its site?” The competition received nearly 60 submissions from 17 different countries and drew upon an ongoing international debate between regionalism and globalization. Some entrants even questioned the appropriateness of a competition that would dare promote economic ideologies like “Buy Local” in the first place.

Should we not focus on fair trade issues rather than relying on local markets to carry the load of environmentally responsible building?

The competition’s goal was to simply challenge the way we think about the single-family home, as it most certainly did for the entrants who had to rethink everything we take for granted as designers. For instance, the higher the material’s embodied energy—as in aluminum windows and mechanical equipment—the less likely it is to be sourced locally. The winners best demonstrated this understanding, through careful technical documentation indicating where their materials were sourced.

The first-place winner of the competition, Tony Osborn of Vancouver, went one step further by proposing a potential material that currently

doesn’t exist. Using mycelium derived from harvesting mushrooms, this futuristic material provides a food stock for two seasons before being able to be made into a concrete-like, fireproof substance that has good insulating properties. Instead of trying to use local materials to fit into the mould of conventional building technologies—typically wood- and concreteframed structures—Osborn proposed a masonry unit that can be sourced anywhere, one that is ideal for single-family home construction and is flexible to accommodate a variety of building configurations.

If the winning entry had just been about the material, it most likely would only have garnered the innovation category prize. What secured its victory was how it went one step further regarding single-family zoning in Vancouver—here, Osborn had the home advantage over the competition co-winners from Scotland and New York. Understanding the complexity of the RS–1 zone in Vancouver’s inner suburbs, coupled with an awareness of the current ongoing debates over increased density in the city’s older neighbourhoods, Osborn imagined a longer life cycle for the house than what the market currently considers. He also thought about how the physical form of the house could actually grow and change as the demand required, evolving from one household to two,

with the final built-out scenario including a live-work component—all constructed within a typical RS-1 lot size. Osborn then demonstrated the most important lesson of all—using materials wisely is commensurate with efficient landuse policies. And with the current debates over appropriate residential densities in Vancouver, there are lessons to be learned about innovative approaches to increasing densities in urban areas. For this reason, Vancouver was made the origin of the competition, and the centre of the 100-mile radius.

The second- and third-place winners demonstrated a firm understanding of balancing a single-family home’s materiality with its program and site footprint. The second-place winner even achieved carbon neutrality, the goal of many current environmental policies being implemented around the world. The competition’s Innovation Award went to a designer who combined urban agriculture—in this case an apiary—with a single-family home, while the student prize went to a pair of designers from Madrid who proposed several passive systems, including a large photovoltaic array on the roof of the home. With the majority of entrants from North America (21 from BC, 12 from the US), 22 came from abroad from places such as South Korea, Hong Kong, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Italy, and even one from Dubai. Each entry

brought its own unique interpretation to the challenge—given the fact that they were interpreting their own local construction laws—each with varying levels of success.

Some of the comments from the jury, which was comprised of a range of consultants, academics and practitioners—Larry Beasley, Ray Cole, Michael Geller, Mike Harcourt, and Jim Huffman—included a central message that it wasn’t good enough for the entries to simply propose a project with locally sourced material; this should only be the starting point to the conversation.

Since its launch in early 2012, the ideas competition has attracted the attention of both local and global media, including a segment on the local television news, as well as international attention from France, New York and Los Angeles. As such, it is the ambition of the AFBC—now independent of the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC) of which it was formerly a part—to build one of the winning entries and donate it to Habitat for Humanity. Furthermore, the results of the competition will be featured in a 1,500-square-foot exhibit at the IDS West show in Vancouver this September.

With the idea for the competition coming from the popular 100 Mile Diet, the Foundation hopes to be a voice for regenerative sustainabil-

OPPOsite tOP, leFt tO riGht VAncouVer-bAsed tony osborn’s competition-winning entry illustrAtes An interior View of the second-floor liVing room; osborn’s exterior rendering of the completed phAses of the project; the second-plAce winner wAs A scottish teAm of Architects, who presented An AlternAtiVe to single-fAmily liVing in VAncouVer while AchieVing cArbon neutrAlity.

ity in British Columbia and beyond, advocating for an environmentally ethical architecture similar to the one architect Michael Green is espousing in regards to his wood high-rise buildings, and similar to the agenda of the University Sustainability Initiative led by Dr. John Robinson at the University of British Columbia (UBC). With environmental stewardship shifting from the public to the private realm, doing more than enough may be what in the end makes all the difference. So much good has been done already—like the Velo-city conference held in Vancouver this past June, and the opening of milestone buildings such as the CIRS building at UBC. The Foundation similarly recognized the opportunity to use the results from the 100 Mile House competition as an effective vehicle to exhibit a complex urban problem to the general public, one which employs current environmental technology such as 08/12 canadian architect

29

photovoltaic and geothermal systems, rainwater harvesting and more.

The 100 Mile House competition successfully questioned the business-as-usual model used by the current construction industry, asking whether it makes sense to assemble our neighbourhoods of materials made in sweatshops thousands of miles away. The competition ultimately was an exercise to see not whether we should live within our carbon footprint, but whether we even can anymore. Understanding this, and effectively communicating it to the general public will be part of the answer to climate change, contributing to an overall greater understanding of how different sustainable systems can rewire our current architectural paradigm, whether it is LEED or the Living Building Challenge. In the end, the competition provided a forum for the dialogue to occur, while simultaneously launching a new chapter for the AFBC as they seek to create a legacy for the advancement of regenerative sustainability in BC, Canada and abroad. ca

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Sean Ruthen is a Vancouver-based architect and writer. Please visit http://100mh.architecturefoundationbc.ca/about-100mh/results/ for more information on the competition. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the AFBC Board of Directors.

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calendar Half a Dozen

July 28-August 25, 2012 Taking place at MADE in Toronto, this exhi bi­ tion features the work of six stu­ dents from Sheridan College’s Craft & Design program that is inspired by the association of ceramics to domestic life throughout history. www.madedesign.ca

line for Expressions of Interest and Qualifications for the design of the new Inuit Art and Learning Centre at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, which is intended to house the WAG’s celebrated collection of contem­ porary Inuit art, along with the studio art and learning program. www.wag.ca

Venice Biennale in architecture

national infrastructure Summit

August 29, 2012-November 25, 2012 Alternating annually with the Venice Biennale for Art, this pres­ tigious event celebrates its 13th edition this year. As Director of this event for 2012, British archi­ tect David Chipperfield states: “I want this Biennale to celebrate a vital, interconnected architectural culture, and pose questions about the intellectual and physical terri­ tories that it shares.” www.labiennale.org/en/architecture/

September 10-12, 2012 Taking place in Regina, this is a follow­up to last year’s event, which marked the first major step in providing the opportunity for all orders of gov­ ernment and the private sector to collectively identify infrastructure challenges and look at potential global innovative solutions. www.nisummit2012.ca

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September 18, 2012 This panel dis­ cussion takes place at BCIT’s down­ town Vancouver campus, and con­

September 4, 2012 This is the dead­

Market insights: are We happy? technological innovation and Green rating Systems

siders whether green rating systems are shaping building tech­ nologies and if the pace of techno­ logical innovation is dictating the evolution of rating systems. http://marketinsights2012.eventbrite.ca iideX/neocon canada

September 20-21, 2012 This event at the Direct Energy Centre in Toron­ to brings together over 15,000 in­ terior designers, architects, facility managers, real estate and business executives in a national forum which powers the design industry in Canada. 350 exhibitors will showcase hundreds of innovative products and services, while CEU­ accredited international keynote and conference program ensures attendees receive expert advice on the issues shaping this rapidly changing industry. www.iidexneocon.com interior design Show West

September 27-30, 2012 This year, In­ terior Design Show West (IDSwest)

at the Vancouver Convention Centre is once again playing host to some of the most important minds in international design, such as world­renowned Italian architect and product designer Piero Lissoni. www.idswest.com doors Open calgary

September 29-30, 2012 Doors Open Calgary is an international event celebrating the places and spaces that make cities unique. For these two days only, the public is granted access—free of charge—to 35 pre­ mier sites for exclusive tours, events and insider information sessions that allow them to get to know Calgary in a way that has never been possible before. www.doorsopenyyc.org For­more­inFormation­about­ these,­and­additional­listings­oF­Canadian­and­international­events,­please­visit­ www.canadianarchitect.com

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Backpage

anchors aweigh

The recenTly unveiled royal canadian navy monumenT incorporaTes a varieTy of subTle meTaphors To honour canada’s naval armed forces. ian chodikoff photo Jana kriz teXt

There is something primordial about traveling on water, even for short distances. You are informed that you are not supposed to be there not so much by your eyes, ears, nose, palate, or palm as by your feet, which feel odd acting as an organ of sense. Water unsettles the sense of horizontality, especially at night, when its surface resembles pavement.

—Joseph Brodsky Throughout history, the sea has captured the imagination of humankind. We attempt to dominate and defend it while waging battles upon and underneath its expansiveness. As such, it is a difficult challenge to memorialize those who have dedicated their careers to a life at sea, like the men and women who have served and continue to serve in Canada’s Navy.

Designed by a Vancouver-based team consisting of architects Joost Bakker and Bruce Haden of DIALOG in conjunction with artist Al McWilliams, the Royal Canadian Navy 34 canadian architect 08/12

Monument was unveiled in Ottawa last May. The majority of Canada’s Navy is based in two ports: Halifax on the Atlantic coast and on the Pacific coast, Esquimalt in British Columbia. To avoid favouring one port over the other, a decision was made to create a national monument in relatively neutral Ottawa, which had the added bonus of increasing the Navy’s presence within a federal context.

In close proximity to the Ottawa River, the monument is sited along an arc between the Canadian War Museum and Parliament Hill. Its promontory site is intended to symbolize Canada’s position as a tri-coastal nation surrounded by the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic Oceans. On a more prosaic level, the primary reason for commissioning the monument was to celebrate the Navy’s centennial year.

The most prominent aspect of the monument is a large and gently curved white marble component that is simply referred to as the naval “signature.” Its shape is intended to evoke many things—the bow of a ship, a ship’s sails, stealthy military design, and even aspects of naval attire. The monument’s most curious feature is a gilded orb jauntily affixed to its top. Covered in 24-karat gold leaf, the orb represents everything from celestial bodies to the Navy’s global reach, and perhaps more literally—the mysteri-

The graviTy-defying golden orb gliTTers in The early morning misT along The oTTawa river.

aBoVe

ous communications equipment concealed within the spherical housing located on most modern-day naval vessels.

The monument’s design strategy was crystallized after McWilliams discovered Joseph Brodsky’s book Watermark. In this work, Brodsky describes how one’s sense of horizontality is unsettled when out at sea—a destabilizing experience that is inherently part of the naval experience. This observation was a critical element that led to the regrading of the monument’s site and the design of the monument’s sloped and slightly fractured granite plinth, a deliberate gesture that gives visitors a sense of unsure footing and the perception that they are perhaps on a ship themselves.

The design team’s greatest challenge was to avoid being figuratively dragged down by didactic symbols of anchors or ships, even though such references cannot be completely avoided.

Thankfully, the Royal Canadian Navy Monument stayed the course and serves as a meaningful moment of remembrance along the Ottawa River. ca

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