Parks, Plazas and Open Spaces

[J.OT13]

Browsing the Ottawa Business Journal website today, I was reminded of one of Downtown's great public spaces; the World Exchange Plaza (WEP)'s outdoor space.

Although we have a near limitless amount of parks, grassy open areas and walking paths along our waterways, we have very few spaces to breath within the urban core. The Central Business District in particular quite oppressive, with lot-line to lot-line towers of pretty much the same height. Other than the WEP, we have Place de Ville I (PdV)'s park space, but when the fountain was removed, it made it quite bland and generic. The plaza at PdV II is nothing more than concrete pavers with a few benches. The newest plan to revitalize Sparks seems to take an interesting path, making each block more of a "park" space as opposed to the current pavers and a handful of planters (a lot like PdV II). L'Esplanade's plaza is terrible. Minto Place left an open space, including an interesting art piece (tea kettle/tree), but it is used for a restaurant terrace. One of the better additions in recent years is the parkette and publicly accessible roof-top terrace at Morguard's Performance Court.

The City has added new open space in the Market area, such as the William Street terrace and Ogilvy Plaza. They've made some improvements to the York Street Terrace and the plaza in front of the Market Building on George. Significant work is coming to William, as part of Downtown Rideau's long awaited revitalization.

There are a few others, but nothing of great significance.

What other great open spaces do we have in the city? What developers place some importance on the public realm, and not just the bottom line? Should more be added and where? Should we be looking at more roof top parks and terraces?

[J.OT13]

Here's the OBJ article (sponsored) about the WEP's plaza space. More images on the website; they were too big when posted to SSP.

Best Offices Ottawa: An outdoor office extension



OBJ (Sponsered)
Mar 2, 2020 9:13am EST


For more than 30 years, Marietta Ruhland has worked towards one goal: Making the city a more beautiful place.

The landscape architect works with exterior spaces, striving to bring nature back into urban areas such as the downtown core. One well-known spot is the amphitheatre outside the World Exchange Plaza, a space designed in 1995 by the Perez team, which included Marietta Ruhland as lead landscape architect. The space they designed has maintained its natural look and feel, and has served as a community meeting place for more than two decades.

The courtyard stands out amongst the towering office buildings and concrete roadways with its unique design, prominent set of stairs and natural materials. With three main access points – two from the street and one from the office building itself – visitors are welcomed into a large space set back from the buzz of the nearby busy thoroughfares.

“Many areas of downtown Ottawa are not particularly pedestrian-friendly,” says Ruhland, principal at Ruhland & Associates. “Buildings often go right up to the street, so the team wanted to open that portion of the block up to bring more light in, and bring the person back into the space.”

In collaboration with Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects, Ruhland & Associates transformed the open space into an extension of the World Exchange Plaza that invites the building’s tenants and pedestrians alike in for a moment of reflection.

Bringing the inside out

When designing an outdoor space, no matter the size, Ruhland often explores ways of incorporating elements from inside the building to the outside, creating a sense of cohesion. During the World Exchange Plaza construction, the strong lines and curves of the building were carried through to the outdoors in the various tree bosques and architectural elements, making the outdoors an extension of the indoors.

One of the main visual elements at the plaza is the continuation of the floor pattern from inside the building to the courtyard. Square granite stones are laid out in a large grid pattern, making up the ground level of the amphitheatre and offering a striking visual from Queen Street, which overlooks the space.

The landscape architectural firm, previously named Wheeler Douglas Associates Ltd, also approached the project with pedestrians front of mind. The amphitheatre seating, which is rarely empty on sunny days, provides ample resting space for those passing by, while the adjacent large slabs of limestone give the space a unique aesthetic.

The rocks were brought in from Northern Ontario and are positioned within the treed spaces to further incorporate nature within the dense urban environment.

“Employees in the building benefit from the access to great amenity spaces,” she says. “Businesses want to have a place they can use outside of the office for a change in scenery, or a space they can go and brainstorm, have a discussion and collaborate outdoors.”

One of the main goals for Ruhland & Associates – not only on the World Exchange Plaza project, but with any outdoor space they tackle – is to bring nature closer to the buildings. Outdoor areas should inspire people to reflect on their surroundings and feel comfortable in the space, she says.

Overcoming challenges

The iconic stairs leading up to Queen Street may be a fixture in the neighbourhood today, but the considerable change in elevation from the street above to the entrance at the World Exchange Plaza was a definite challenge when the design team first saw the space 24 years ago.

“This project shows how we are able to take site issues and turn them into design elements,” Ruhland says. “Instead of saying ‘That’s a problem’ we turned it into a positive.”

Ruhland & Associates also faced the issue of how they were going to plant trees and gardens in a space built on concrete.

They designed a tree box that sits below ground level to house a sufficient volume of soil necessary to support the growth of trees and plants. This innovative thinking allowed them to keep their design vision intact, and kept the trees at ground level.

It’s an approach that Ruhland had continued to refine as technology and landscaping techniques evolve.

“People are now talking a lot more about designing and building living streets, and with the new invention of soil cells and water management there is a real opportunity to plant trees that will last 20 plus years within the urban core,” says Ruhland. “We are always striving to research and implement our project’s goals with the latest technologies and sustainable methods, whether through personal research, collaboration with colleagues or courses.”

The amphitheatre at the World Exchange Plaza has withstood the test of time and become one of the downtown core’s most well-known landmarks due to the team’s classic design and choice of materials, says Ruhland, adding that those elements will help the plaza remain intact as a favourite spot for many in Ottawa.

http://obj.ca/article/sponsored-ruhl...fice-extension

[Uhuniau]

The Bank of Canada plaza at the corner of Bank and Wellington could have been so much better. It's better than it was, to be sure... but a few tweaks in how it's laid out could have made it a great little performance space.

[danishh]

the courtyards at jeanne d'arc court and tin house court in the market are two of my favorite semi-public urban spaces.

on the CBD side, i'd really like to see something done with the parking lot on Kent/Albert/Queen (where the LRT central portal was). It's a perfect place for a public square and would be a great place to set up a food truck plaza too. The former green papaya building (now Thai-Vet) is perfect for a restaurant opening up onto that square. Dont know if the city is willing to give up the potential development value of the lot though.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by danishh

the courtyards at jeanne d'arc court and tin house court in the market are two of my favorite semi-public urban spaces.

on the CBD side, i'd really like to see something done with the parking lot on Kent/Albert/Queen (where the LRT central portal was). It's a perfect place for a public square and would be a great place to set up a food truck plaza too. The former green papaya building (now Thai-Vet) is perfect for a restaurant opening up onto that square. Dont know if the city is willing to give up the potential development value of the lot though.

Hasn't that been aside for a future phase of the C.D. Howe/240 Sparks complex for decades?

[phil235]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Hasn't that been aside for a future phase of the C.D. Howe/240 Sparks complex for decades?

It's not too late!

Given that it has been decades, there was easily time to do a public space in the interim, just like was done at Bay/Adelaide in Toronto. There were patios and gardens and even a bar, and it got a tonne of use.

My first preference would be a public square there, but given the value of the site, I would love to see the City permit extra height on part of the lot on the condition that half of the lot becomes a square. That parcel could become Ottawa's Bryant Park if done properly.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Hasn't that been aside for a future phase of the C.D. Howe/240 Sparks complex for decades?

That lot is owned by Brookfield. Campeau had plans for a new tallest as part of Place de Ville III back in the 80s. Brookfield had less ambitious proposals, including two towers (roughly 18 floors each) and mega-block (again 18ish floors) reminiscent of yes, CD Howe.

I would love to see Brookfield, or another, more visionary developer, buy the entire block and redevelop with towers taking up a third of the block and an urban square built on the remaining land.

Better yet if a redevelopment includes the Hill's Time Building (Thai-Viet) and the Bank Street Chambers, both fully restored.

Originally Posted by phil235

It's not too late!

Given that it has been decades, there was easily time to do a public space in the interim, just like was done at Bay/Adelaide in Toronto. There were patios and gardens and even a bar, and it got a tonne of use.

My first preference would be a public square there, but given the value of the site, I would love to see the City permit extra height on part of the lot on the condition that half of the lot becomes a square. That parcel could become Ottawa's Bryant Park if done properly.

That. 35 to 40 floors would do wonders to the CBD skyline.

[danishh]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Hasn't that been aside for a future phase of the C.D. Howe/240 Sparks complex for decades?

good memory:
https://app06.ottawa.ca/calendar/ott...ugustPED14.pdf

I'm unclear if there is still any current plan. I'm thought the city bought the lot for LRT work, but i guess brookfield owns it?

edit: Hill times old building - that's what i was referring to. Damn, y'all have better memories than me.

[J.OT13]

From what I understand, the city "leased" the corner for the gantry crane during construction, but Brookfield maintained ownership.

[Jayday23]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

From what I understand, the city "leased" the corner for the gantry crane during construction, but Brookfield maintained ownership.

that lot is the biggest eyesore in downtown..

[J.OT13]

Quite a few urban parks are being redeveloped. Here are some plans for Riverain Park in Vanier and Laroche Park near Bayview station.

• Video Link

• Video Link

This could be a place to discuss other projects such as the Byron Linear Park, above the tunnel, or the theoretical park over the Scott street trench.

Larger, often NCC projects like the Sir John A. Macdonald Linear Park or Nepean Point, which are more prominent and touristy, could remain in their own threads.

[J.OT13]

CentretownBuzz, OCTOBER 2020
McKenney aims to dot Centretown with green parkettes in new developments
October 16, 2020


A section of a concept drawing for the small proposed park at 400 Albert Street
(from City of Ottawa consultation documents).

Alayne McGregor

As large projects continue to fill in Centretown, residents can expect to see more small, green parkettes as part of those projects, says Councillor Catherine McKenney.

This month, the city asked residents to suggest ideas and review a proposed design for a small park at the corner of Albert and Lyon. The park will be part of the 400 Albert mixed-use development, which replaces the current parking lot. The developer will build the 400m2 park and then give it to the city.

In the past, McKenney said, the city usually asked developers to provide cash in lieu of parkland and would combine the funds from several developments for a single larger greenspace.

But, in the downtown, they said, “It can be more difficult to find space for a park or a parkette. Over the last couple of years, I’ve pushed developers to provide the space rather than just the funds. I think that we have to take advantage of good public space. It’s difficult, when you have the funds, to find empty space that’s available, that’s affordable. This way, rather than take the cash in lieu, we asked for a publicly owned park.”

The pandemic has made the city “really realize how important public spaces are, how important social interactions are,” they said. “I know, sometimes, people would rather see something larger. But every small square space can provide the types of either passive or active park space that we need in a downtown. It doesn’t always have to be large but it has to be well designed, and it has to meet the needs of that neighbourhood.”

McKenney hoped to get ideas from residents across Centretown. “I did a parks survey about three years ago and one of the things that surprised me was how many people asked for a performance space outdoors – a few benches, a bit of a rise so that you could have small performances or maybe busking. So maybe we’ll see something like that.”

The current proposal for 400 Albert shows seating, planters for ornamental trees and small plants, bike parking and a water-jet feature that children might enjoy. McKenney hoped that the project would attract some families and expected that “there will be a large number of new residents in that area. We have several towers going up in that immediate vicinity. I think we’ll be looking at, probably, a nice mixture between some passive and some active use. I would love to see a splash pad on that corner.”

Both Lyon and Albert Streets carry heavy traffic on weekdays but McKenney said that park users could be sheltered from traffic noise by screening with greenery. “It is a busy corner, there’s no doubt. I don’t think it’s going to be a place to go and sit, and contemplate, probably. But, maybe, a fun place to play! It will be active.”

https://centretownbuzz.com/2020/10/1...w&cxk=oct-park

[kwoldtimer]

Anything to relieve the nasty Centretown streetscape ...

[kevinbottawa]

I like this idea. I was just thinking about what can become Ottawa's "thing", like murals in Montreal or arcades in the UK. A series of parkettes in the downtown would be interesting. Whenever something is built on the lot bordered by Kent, Queen and Albert, that would be a prime spot for another one of these.

[kevinbottawa]

I can't remember what thread the Riverain Park improvements is in, but they've completely gated off the park and all the amenities with blue fencing. Only the pathways are accessible. Didn't think work was starting so soon.

[J.OT13]

Moderators, could you merge this thread with another I created:

https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/sho...light=riverain

I had forgotten about this one when I created the latter.

[JHikka]

If the parkettes have local residents to use them and local events to use them then they'll be great, otherwise they'll just be utilized by the homeless and other riff raff. Something similar to Dundonald Park, i'd imagine.

[phil235]

Originally Posted by JHikka

If the parkettes have local residents to use them and local events to use them then they'll be great, otherwise they'll just be utilized by the homeless and other riff raff. Something similar to Dundonald Park, i'd imagine.

I think they would be used. There is a real lack of places to sit downtown.

Dundonald Park is a case in point. I walk through there daily (or at least I did), and am always impressed by the number and variety of people that use the park. Especially since COVID, it's been a super lively place, and has been much improved by the Art Cafe and the teahouse patios across the street.

[Uhuniau]

There is no shortage of open spaces and tiny park-like things in the core.

There is no shortage of open spaces and tiny park-like things, that go underused even during non-pandemic times, in the core.

[OTownandDown]

Originally Posted by Uhuniau

There is no shortage of open spaces and tiny park-like things in the core.

There is no shortage of open spaces and tiny park-like things, that go underused even during non-pandemic times, in the core.

Depends what you define as parquette

1. Something a developer already does to enliven a building entrance and meet setback restrictions.

2. Something a politician announces to appease the NIMBY's.

I agree, there's already lots of struggling trees placed within the path of travel at several buildings around town, both new and old.