World-class ideas for Lansdowne’s urban park

The City of Ottawa, in partnership with the National Capital Commission and Parks Canada Agency, today unveiled five exciting proposals for a new urban park at Lansdowne. The design ideas, created by some of the world’s best landscape architects, are available to view on the City’s website and at several City buildings. Public comments will be gathered until May 31, 2010 on ottawa.ca. After the public comment period, a jury of design experts and officials from the City’s partner agencies, will select a winning design. The City and its partners are holding an international design competition to create a park that is to be part of a redeveloped Lansdowne. “This is a great moment for the City of Ottawa and its partners on this project, the National Capital Commission and Parks Canada,” said Mayor Larry O’Brien. “City Council wanted the best ideas in a revitalized Lansdowne Park and now we get to see what some top talent in the field can create for this important heritage site in our capital.” “City Council supported the idea of an international design competition to draw the best ideas for this special place. Now we are reaping the rewards of that vision,” said Councillor Peter Hume, Chair of the City’s Planning and Environment Committee and City Council’s representative on the design-competition jury. “The National Capital Commission is pleased to work with the City of Ottawa and Parks Canada on this exciting urban-design project or a new urban park,” said Jean-François Trépanier, Executive Vice-President of Operations, at the NCC. “As the federal agency responsible for designing, building, maintaining and preserving the Capital in a way that will inspire Canadians with pride, we look forward at the future urban park as an important destination for residents and visitors of the capital.” “Parks Canada is pleased to support the ongoing collaborative effort to design a new urban park at Lansdowne,” said Don Marrin, Superintendent of the Rideau Canal. “As the federal agency responsible for ensuring that the Rideau Canal's values as a National Historic Site and World Heritage Site are respected, we look forward to the realization of a new vision for Lansdowne that will honour the importance of the Rideau Canal, become a legacy for the National Capital and welcome people from home and abroad, for generations to come.” In November, 2009, City Council approved in principle the proposed plan to redevelop Lansdowne but with a number of conditions, including the requirement for an international competition for the design for a new urban park. Five landscape architecture design firms were invited in February to compete in the urban-park design competition at Lansdowne. Those firms are: Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates of Cambridge, Massachusetts; Phillips Farevaag Smallenberg, of Vancouver; The SWA Group, of Sausalito, California; West 8 Urban Design and Landscape Architecture, of Rotterdam and Toronto; Williams, Asselin, Ackaoui & Associates, of Montreal. In keeping with the requirement for anonymity, the submissions have been labelled A, B, C, D and E. The designs are posted on the City’s website and displayed at several major City buildings. The designs are on display at: City Hall, May 20-23, Lansdowne Park, May 24-26, Ray Friel Recreation Centre, May 27-28, Nepean Sportsplex, May 27-28, Walter Baker Sports Centre, May 29-30 and Kanata Recreation Centre, May 29-30. A seven-member jury has been assembled to examine the designs and select a winning concept. The jury consists of: urban designer George Dark; architect Marianne McKenna; landscape architect Linda Dicaire, representing the National Capital Commission; City Councillor Peter Hume; Pam Buell, representing Parks Canada Agency; landscape architect Lawrence Paterson; and landscape architecture professor Douglas Paterson. Public input received on the five design submissions will be provided to the jury for their consideration. Once the jury selects a winner on June 4, the design will be presented to City Council, the board of the NCC and Parks Canada Agency for endorsement. The winning park-design team will work with the team of architects who are designing the refurbished stadium, Civic Centre and mixed-use area to link the elements into a cohesive design plan for Lansdowne. The work to integrate the master plan for Lansdowne will be overseen by the Lansdowne Strategic Design Review and Advisory Panel, which is comprised of George Dark, Marianne McKenna and Rick Haldenby, Director of the University of Waterloo School of Architecture. The report to City Council on the Lansdowne Partnership Plan will be tabled on June 9, 2010. Public delegations on the project will be heard at Committee of the Whole of Council on June 24 and 25, and Council will deliberate and debate the project on June 28, 2010. For more information on the Lansdowne Partnership Plan visit ottawa.ca/lansdownepartnership or contact the City at 3-1-1 (TTY: 613-580-2401)

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