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Home My WebLink AboutCSD-14-009 - 2013 Mike Wagner Heritage Awards and Urban Design Awards Staff Report Community Services Department w .kitchenera REPORT TO: Community & Infrastructure Services Committee DATE OF MEETING: February Td, 2014 SUBMITTED BY: Alain Pinard, Director of Planning PREPARED BY: Michelle Drake, Heritage Planner (519-741-2200 ext. 7839) Janine Oosterveld, Manager of Site Development and Customer Service (519-741-2200 ext. 7076) WARD(S) INVOLVED: All Wards DATE OF REPORT: January 13, 2013 REPORT NO.: CSD-14-009 SUBJECT: 2013 Mike Wagner Heritage Awards and Urban Design Awards RECOMMENDATION: For Information. BACKGROUND: The purpose of this report is to inform Council and the public of the recipients of the 2013 Mike Wagner Heritage Awards and Urban Design Awards. A report is typically now provided to Committee after the ceremony that identifies the awarded projects. REPORT: Heritage conservation and urban design efforts throughout the City are recognized through the biennial Mike Wagner Heritage Awards and Urban Design Awards. These awards were presented concurrently at a reception held in the City Hall rotunda on November 6, 2013. Mike Wagner Heritage Awards The Mike Wagner Heritage Award program was established in 1997 to pay tribute to property owners and businesses who have contributed to the conservation of the City's cultural heritage resources. The program is named after former City Councillor Mike Wagner who served on City Council from 1989 to 1997, and who was a strong advocate for heritage, culture and the arts. The program has recognized projects that have contributed to the conservation of cultural heritage resources through adaptive re-use, rehabilitation and restoration. The program includes three award categories along with eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria. The three award categories are: Preservation / Restoration of Cultural Heritage Resources; Rehabilitation /Adaptive Reuse of Cultural Heritage Resources; and, Individual Contributions to the Field of Heritage Conservation. Six nominations were received for Rehabilitation /Adaptive Reuse projects that were completed before April 26, 2013. These projects involve the sensitive adaptation of a cultural heritage IF1 - 1 Staff Report Community Services Department wwkitchenera resource or of an individual heritage attribute for a continuing or compatible contemporary use, while protecting its heritage value. This may be achieved through repairs, replacements, alterations and/or additions. No nominations were received for the other categories. Heritage Planning staff and the City's Heritage Kitchener Committee evaluated nominations in the Rehabilitation / Adaptive Reuse Award category. Recommendations regarding the 2013 Mike Wagner Heritage Awards recipients were forwarded to Council for final approval. The following projects were awarded by Council: Rehabilitation /Adaptive Reuse Award ■ Arrow Lofts, 112 Benton Street ■ Breithaupt Block, 51 Breithaupt Street ■ 34 Mansion Street ■ 27 Schneider Avenue Please visit the link below to watch a short video profile of the 2013 award recipients. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXbKKPKk2C4 Urban Design Awards In 1988 Council endorsed the idea of presenting Urban Design Awards in recognition of projects which that were designed and built in a manner which enhances the public realm in the City. Since then, the City of Kitchener has presented Urban Design Awards generally every two years. The City of Kitchener's Urban Design Awards recognize industry leaders who exemplify a commitment to design excellence and create a built environment that enhances our quality of life. There are seven categories in the City of Kitchener Urban Design Awards noted below: 1. Low Rise Buildings (1- 3 storeys) and 2. Mid to High Rise Buildings (4 storevs and up) — given in recognition of a building that makes a positive contribution to the public realm and demonstrates urban design excellence and creativity through a sensitive understanding of the context, site plan, massing and pedestrian amenities. 3. Civic Projects — given to public sector projects, including both Civic Buildings and Public Spaces, that make a significant contribution to the overall quality of the public realm. 4. Urban Elements — given in recognition of components of the urban environment that contribute significantly to the quality of the public realm in the City. 5. Visions/ Master Plans —given in recognition of a plan or study of a significant area within the City that provides a development strategy for urban transformation. IF1 - 2 Staff Report Community Services Department wwkitchenera 6. Neighbourhood Design — given in recognition of approved and built subdivisions within the City that implement the design objectives of the Design Brief for Suburban Development and Neighbourhood Mixed Use Centres. 7. Student Projects — given in recognition of exemplary theoretical or studio projects relating to urban design and/or the public realm for a study site located in the City of Kitchener. Twenty-five nominations were submitted for review for projects completed between January 1, 2011 and April 26, 2013. A judging committee evaluated nominations in the Low Rise and Mid to High Rise Buildings, Urban Elements, and Civic Projects categories. A staff subcommittee evaluated nominations in the Student Projects and Visions/Master Plans categories. Judges declare conflict of interests and do not vote on projects in which their firm participated. Members of the judging panel included: • Councillor Berry Vrbanovic Chair of the Urban Design Awards Committee • Michael Hannay, Urban Designer, The MBTW Group • Kevin Watts, President, Waterloo Region Home Builders' Association • Ian Robertson, Engineer, Meritech Engineering • Rick Reichard, Architect, SRM Architects Inc. • Tim McCormick, Landscape Architect, Stantec The following projects were recognized by the judging committees: Award of Excellence — Student Projects • Kitchener Innovation District Urban Redesign Project Award of Excellence — Low Rise Buildings • Williamsburg Goodlife Building, 315 Max Becker Drive • BMW Mini Grand River Building, 1800 Victoria Street North Award of Excellence — Mid to High Rise Buildings • Chartwell Seniors Housing, 200 David Bergey Drive Award of Excellence — Urban Elements • Streetfronting Townhouses at Eby Estates, 2-8 & 3-9 Isaiah Drive • The Boardwalk — Fashion Village, 200-230 The Boardwalk Award of Excellence — Civic Projects • Waterloo Regional Courthouse, 85 Frederick Street IF1 - 3 Staff Report Community Services Department wwkitchenera The 2013 Urban Design Awards ceremony celebrated 25 years since the inception of the awards program. A special video was created to celebrate and document this significant achievement. To view this video as well as a video that highlights all of this year's winning projects, please use the link below: htt ://www.kitchener.ca/en/livinginkitch ener/UrbanDesignAwards.asp COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: The "consult" theme of the Community Engagement Toolkit was utilized to invite the public to nominate projects worthy of recognition through the Mike Wagner Heritage Awards and Urban Design Awards programs. The "inform" theme of the Community Engagement Toolkit was utilized for this report. ALIGNMENT WITH CITY OF KITCHENER STRATEGIC PLAN: The City has places, spaces and stories that enrich, enlighten and guide growth and development. Exemplary heritage conservation and urban design projects are integral to the identity of the City, but they also play a significant role in economic development by helping to enhance quality of life, strengthen distinctiveness, stimulate revitalization and attract tourism. The Mike Wagner Heritage Awards and the Urban Design Awards publicly acknowledge excellence in heritage conservation and urban design. As a result, both programs support the Quality of Life Community Priority of the City of Kitchener Strategic Plan. REVIEWED BY: Brandon Sloan, Manager of Long Range and Policy Planning ACKNOWLEDGED BY: Michael May, Deputy CAO Community Services Department IF1 - 4