2009 Edmonton Urban Design Award of Merit!

For us!  For our Alberta Avenue facade improvement project!  While our time on stage was a bit of a blur, I did hear that a jury comment was that the design is “cool”.  We’ll take that.  Our thanks to the building owner for trusting our ideas, our contractor Global Construction for executing the design so well and our photographer Jim Dobie for his genius.

View all the winners here.

ice flows

The ice has started forming on the river….late again this year.  The river is so beautiful at this time of year – it changes from its usual muddy brown to a clear green/blue.  My walk to work through Louise McKinney Park is spectacular.

 

starring….the Alberta Ave building

Global TV was broadcasting live from Alberta Avenue last week and our renovated building was featured as a backdrop to its tenant, Bedouin Beats.  Go to minute 1:15 in this video to see (you’ll have to wait through an advertisement first) …  http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/video/index.html?releasePID=ztu4nxg0GSMCE17cG1O_AQBJmX2TKJbd We’re thrilled to be contributing to the revitalization of the Ave!

the way we live

I attended a workshop yesterday held by the City of Edmonton as part of the development of their long-term strategic plan for people services.  The conversation focused on how places + spaces contribute to our life in Edmonton and was engaging + thought-provoking.  The overarching concern, interestingly, was sustainability and how that affects everything we do, plan and envision.  Without a sustainable intent, people services be they policing, parks or facilities are doomed to fail. 

An example of this theme was heard in the agreement that people places first need to reinforce and support a community at a local level.  There was general concern that the multiplex model, while fiscally efficient, contributes to vehicle use, isolation + homogeneity.  In contrast, the traditional model of school/community league/playground/rink and/or playing fields reinforces community connections through its intimate scale that encourages neighborhood gatherings, cross-generational interaction and accessible fitness.  Granted, this model cannot exist in isolation of other opportunities provided by swimming pools + larger facilities.  But it should not be discarded in favour of a one-size-fits-all solution. 

Another discussion theme revolved around creating a “geography of place” for Edmonton.  In contrast to the “placeless-ness” exhibited by many North American cities, including Edmonton’s suburbs, a geography of place would create an immediately identifiable urban fabric.  It would be rooted in this northern landscape, connected by the river + ravines, informed by the plants, animals + ecosystems that sustain the city and acknowledge history and first peoples.  Places + spaces that evolve out of the region will have more poetry, identity and meaning than ideas + designs transplanted from distant cities.  Start and the river and work out along the ravines.  Protect those sacred spaces, daylight buried waterways, rejuvenate lost land, honor precious arable soil.  Celebrate winter.  Protect dark skies.  Revel in long summer days. 

Dream a magic city.  Make it happen.

trapezoid house

Some progress images for your entertainment….the project is in the design development stage and we’re hoping for a construction start in the spring.

This single family residence is situated within an older neighbourhood in Edmonton, near the river valley on a very large pie shaped lot.  The lot has a south to southwest orientation with a narrow public frontage and large private rear yard.  The residence has been located and shaped to maximize the private open space and solar orientation.  The trapezoidal form results from these goals and as a response to the allowable building footprint.  The resultant volume defines a form which is clad in minimal materials to reinforce its simplicity.  Voids are carved out to define the entry and to create a private second floor rooftop garden.  Similarly, two story volumes within the house are used to define interior spaces and create connections between the floors.

The main floor is essentially one large space oriented to the south containing living, dining and kitchen areas.  The living room features a fireplace wall that extends to the roof within the area open to the second floor.  Large glass doors on the south side allow movement between the outdoor dining patio and the interior spaces.  Support spaces run parallel to these public areas, contained within a narrow area on the north edge.  The stairs are stacked against this north wall and have views to a protected courtyard filled with aspen trees.  The second floor is dedicated to the family’s private functions – bedrooms, studio, a balcony library adjacent the double height living area and a media room.  A shaft above the dining room sideboard creates a dramatic separation between the media room and the exterior wall.  A low window provides glimpses of the roof top garden from the media room and hallway.  The lower level is reserved for guest accommodation, a games room and service spaces.

The construction is wood frame to best suit local traditions and expertise.  However, a double wall construction is employed to maximize the insulation required for Edmonton’s extreme climate.  A combination of mineral wool and fibreglass insulation are used and located within the framing as appropriate to realize both sound attenuation and installation requirements.  The floors are concrete topping on wood joists to allow the aesthetic of polished concrete, and ease of maintenance and some greater thermal mass.