Revised mid-rise concept for 'CNA House' would add 87 condos to Golden Triangle
The CNA wants to build nine storeys of condo suites on its land at 50 The Driveway and stitch the new mid-rise building into the facade of the existing 55-year-old office structure.
Jon Willing, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: Jan 03, 2022 • 28 minutes ago • 3 minute read
The landmark Canadian Nurses Association headquarters near the Rideau Canal is proposed for redevelopment under a revised concept, bringing a new intensification project to the Golden Triangle neighbourhood.
The CNA wants to build nine storeys of condo suites on its land at 50 The Driveway and stitch the new mid-rise building into the facade of the existing 55-year-old office structure.
The application is another example of infill development coming to an established community in close proximity to an LRT station, though when it comes to the Golden Triangle, it’s not an area that has experienced a high number of redevelopment proposals requiring city planning approvals.
The mostly low-rise community is sandwiched between Elgin Street and the Rideau Canal, south of city hall. The Corktown Bridge provides access to uOttawa Station on the Confederation Line, and when it comes to the CNA property, it falls within the key 600-metre radius often cited for good transit-orientated developments. The CNA development application says it’s a 522-metre walk to the LRT station.
To build the project, the CNA will need city council’s permission to amend the property zoning and the official plan to allow mid-rise development on the land.
In recent weeks, the CNA, along with its design firm, Hobin Architecture, and planning consultant J.L. Richards and Associates, have filed a new concept for the complex that proposes to increase the number of units and pay homage to the existing building’s most distinctive architectural feature.
According to an application resubmission in December, the project calls for 87 condo units, 11 more than the previous submission last July, with the average size of a unit set at 1,150 square feet, compared to the previous iteration’s 1,550 square feet.
There would be three bachelor units and 37 one-bedroom units, with the rest of the building made up of two-bedroom units of various sizes.
The units “are now both marketable and acceptable from a city building perspective,” Hobin Architecture’s resubmission says.
One of the groups that responded to the proposal with concerns was the Centretown Community Association, which told city planners in October that the project should have the highest standard of energy efficiency, have fewer parking spots and protect trees around the property.
In response, the design team reduced the number of parking spaces to match the number of units and included an additional 13 visitor spaces. The previous design called for 92 parking spaces and another eight visitor spaces, in a 66-unit complex. The resubmission also includes one bike parking space per unit.
Hobin Architecture also tweaked the underground parking garage design and building setbacks for better tree planting and retention.
The irregularly shaped “CNA House” was designed by local architect James Strutt and built in 1965-1966, with an addition built in 1987. City heritage planners have noted the building’s architecture as a good example of a Modern-style office building with Brutalist elements.
While the city has noted the contribution to Ottawa’s built heritage, the structure currently isn’t protected by heritage designation.
The building’s most defining feature, a unique lantern-like feature that acts like a skylight, contributes to the landmark status.
The initial development submission called for the lantern to be partially reconstructed as part of the landscape outside of the building. Now, Hobin Architecture is proposing to make the lantern a design feature on the roof of the nine-storey building.
As for losing its bricks-and-mortar headquarters, the CNA has been anticipating a transition to a remote work environment.
No date has been set for the development application to be considered by the planning committee. The proposal was previously on track for political consideration last fall before CNA resubmitted the design in December.
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That said, it's not bad. Cladding material can make or break a design, but I'm glad they're keeping some of the original building and the concrete crown. It's being done by Hobin and not RLA, luckily. If it were RLA they'd pretty much demolish the building to put something ugly up (they don't care about other architects' work).
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