Month: June 2015

Urban Forum is very pleased to announce that its 2015-2016 lecture season will kick off in collaboration with the 10^th Anniversary of the City of Ottawa’s 2015 Urban Design Awards (OUDA).  This special evening will be held on Wednesday, September 30^th in the beautiful, heritage Horticulture Building located within the newly revitalized Lansdowne Park.

Urban Forum is excited to further announce that nationally and internationally-acclaimed architect,  Jack Diamond from Diamond Schmitt Architects will be the special guest speaker of the evening.

Jack Diamond founded the firm of Diamond Schmitt Architects, in Toronto in 1975. His design sensibility is to create elegantly sustainable buildings that address both context and content.  This approach has resulted in numerous national and international awards for his firm.  An extensive portfolio includes academic buildings, libraries, performing arts centres, hospitals, research and life science facilities, master plans, residential and commercial buildings, located across North America and the globe.

Mr. Diamond received a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Capetown, an MA from Oxford University and a Master of Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.

He is an RAIC Gold Medalist, member of the Order of Ontario, an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and, most recently, the recipient of both the Ontario Association of Architects and the Jane Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Awards. He is currently at work on a performing arts centre in Texas, a residential project in Switzerland and land planning in the Grenadines, West Indies.

For a glimpse into the world of Jack Diamond, on June 18 at 9:00 PM, TVO broadcasts the premiere of The Maestro & The Master: Building the New Mariinsky.  The following is a six-minute trailer of the film:  http://www.dsai.ca/videos-podcasts/the-maestro-and-the-master-building-the-new-mariinsky

For more information on the Ottawa Urban Design Awards click here.

Download the lecture poster here

The Long Term Vision and Plan for Ottawa’s Parliamentary and Judicial Precincts

June 10, 2015

Presenters:  Lyette Fortin and Robert Allsopp

Since Queen Victoria selected Bytown as Canada’s capital in 1858, the Parliamentary and Judicial Precincts facing Wellington Street have become the symbolic—and physical—heart of the country. This forum examines the history of the area, the key principles of its layout, and the pivotal role of a long term master plan to accommodate its evolving needs. How is the district planned to reflect our democratic institutions and practices? What development pressures has the area confronted in the past? What are the current issues and opportunities facing the Parliamentary and Judicial Precincts?

These questions were particularly timely at the time of the presentation as controversy swirls around the location of the proposed Memorial to the Victims of Communism in the Judicial Precinct. The existing plans for the site, and how the Memorial impacts the larger planning vision were key to the considerations presented.

Speakers:

Lyette Fortin, a Consultant in Architectural Conservation who worked over thirty-two years as a Conservation Architect with the Federal Government. In her former role as Director of Architecture Strategic Planning for the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada, she represented the institution in the development of the Long Term Vision and Plan working in close collaboration with all stakeholders and the consultants. She is active in conservation at the regional level as a member of the Outaouais Cultural Commission and at the municipal level as a member the Urban Planning Committee. She is also a contract instructor at Carleton University Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism.

Robert Allsopp, a leading Canadian urban designer, has been a key figure in the planning and design of the heart of the National Capital over the past thirty five years. Mr. Allsopp, with Roger du Toit and Peter Fletcher Smith of DTAH, prepared the 1987 Long Range Plan for the Parliamentary and the Judicial Precincts and the Plan’s update in 2007. Mr. Allsopp has also been instrumental in establishing urban design policies for Commemorations in the National Capital.

The discussion was moderated by Christina Cameron, Professor and Chairholder, Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage, School of Architecture, Faculté de l’aménagement, Université de Montréal.

The Long Term Vision and Plan for Ottawa’s Parliamentary and Judicial Precincts

Wednesday June 10, 2015 @ 7pm

Council Chambers (Andrew Haydon Hall), Ottawa City Hall, 110 Laurier Ave. West

Presenters:  Lyette Fortin and Robert Allsopp

Since Queen Victoria selected Bytown as Canada’s capital in 1858, the Parliamentary and Judicial Precincts facing Wellington Street have become the symbolic—and physical—heart of the country. This forum examines the history of the area, the key principles of its layout, and the pivotal role of a long term master plan to accommodate its evolving needs. How is the district planned to reflect our democratic institutions and practices? What development pressures has the area confronted in the past? What are the current issues and opportunities facing the Parliamentary and Judicial Precincts?

These questions are particularly timely as controversy swirls around the location of the proposed Memorial to the Victims of Communism in the Judicial Precinct. What are the existing plans for the site, and how would the Memorial impact the larger planning vision?

Speakers:

Lyette Fortin, a Consultant in Architectural Conservation who worked over thirty-two years as a Conservation Architect with the Federal Government. In her former role as Director of Architecture Strategic Planning for the House of Commons of the Parliament of Canada, she represented the institution in the development of the Long Term Vision and Plan working in close collaboration with all stakeholders and the consultants. She is active in conservation at the regional level as a member of the Outaouais Cultural Commission and at the municipal level as a member the Urban Planning Committee. She is also a contract instructor at Carleton University Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism.

Robert Allsopp, a leading Canadian urban designer, has been a key figure in the planning and design of the heart of the National Capital over the past thirty five years. Mr. Allsopp, with Roger du Toit and Peter Fletcher Smith of DTAH, prepared the 1987 Long Range Plan for the Parliamentary and the Judicial Precincts and the Plan’s update in 2007. Mr. Allsopp has also been instrumental in establishing urban design policies for Commemorations in the National Capital.

The discussion will be moderated by Christina Cameron, Professor and Chairholder, Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage, School of Architecture, Faculté de l’aménagement, Université de Montréal