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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDTS-06-134 - 2006 Urban Design Awards Presentation ) c,_> KITCHENER Development & Technical Services ~ Report To: Mayor Carl Zehr and Council Members Date of Meeting: Submitted By: September 25, 2006 Jeff Willmer, Director of Planning, 741-2325 Prepared By: Ryan Mounsey, Senior Planner, 741-2324 Ward(s) Involved: All Date of Report: September 19, 2006 Report No.: DTS-06-134 Subject: 2006 Urban Design Awards Presentation and Mike Wagner Heritage Awards Presentation RECOMMENDA TION: For Information (Confidential) BACKGROUND: In 1989 Council endorsed the idea of presenting Urban Design A wards in recognition of projects which exemplified superior design contributions to the city. The City of Kitchener presents Urban Design Awards every two years. The Urban Design A wards recognize industry leaders who exemplify a commitment to design excellence as established in the City's Urban Design Manual and create a built environment that enhance the quality of life in the city. The A wards are given to projects which have undergone a site plan approval process, and include multiple residential, commercial, industrial, governmental, institutional developments as well as additions and renovations. All development projects must have been completed and ready for occupancy from January 1,2004 to December 31,2005. There are three categories in the City of Kitchener Urban Design Awards noted below: 1. The Award of Excellence - to recognize overall design quality 2. The A ward of Merit - to recognize specific site elements 3. Nomination Awards - to recognize all submissions that are reviewed by the final judging The 2006 Urban Design Awards ceremony and reception are now being held concurrently with the City's celebration of the Mike Wagner Heritage Awards. On July 4,2006 Council approved the Heritage Kitchener recommendation to award three Mike Wagner Heritage A wards in 2006 as follows: A ward of Merit: Mill Club Clubhouse (350 Doon Valley Drive) Outstandine: Achievement: Waterloo Region Catholic Education Centre/City of Kitchener Downtown Community Centre (35 Weber St.W.) Wilfrid Laurier University Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work (120 Duke St.W.) The presentation of the Mike Wagner Heritage A wards will take place at the same Council meeting as the presentation of the Urban Design Awards, on September 25, 2006. 2006 URBAN DESIGN A WARD PROCESS REVISION: The 2006 Urban Design A wards process has been modified to expand the Urban Design Awards Judging Panel to include an individual member from the urban planning and engineering professions and include these professions as part of the project team eligible to receive an Urban Design A ward. REPORT: In this, the ninth presentation of the Urban Design Awards ceremony, 34 nominations were submitted for review from completed projects from 2004 to 2005. Judges declare conflict of interests and do not vote on projects in which their firm participated with. Members of the judging panel included: Councillor Christina Weylie, Chair of the Urban Design A wards Committee Douglas Stewart, Associate, Senior Planner, Planning & Engineering Initiatives Ltd., President of Home Builders Association David Thompson, Principal, David Thompson Architect, Architect Chris Bohme, Landscape Architect, GSP Group, Landscape Architect Paul Britton, Principal, MHBC Planning Ltd., Urban Planner Rebecca Kerr, Manager, Site Development Division, MTE Consultants Inc., Engineer The following awards have been awarded by the Judging panel: A ward of Excellence - to recolrnize overall desilrn aualitv: The Judging panel has chosen the following recipient for the A ward of Excellence: · Lancaster/Frederick Office Building, 209 Frederick Street A ward of Merit - to recolrnize soecific site elements: They have also chosen the following recipients for the A ward of Merit: · ACL Steel, 2255 Shirley Drive · Betzner Brownstones, 555 King Street East · Casey's Bar and Grill, 1440 Ottawa Street South · Home Hardware, 1187 Fischer Hallman Road · Deloitte Office, 4278 King Street East Nomination A wards - to recolrnize all submissions that are reviewed bv the final iudlrinlr: The following recipients will receive a Nomination A ward: · MTE Consultants Inc., 520 Bingeman Centre Drive · Victoria Village Plaza, 901 Victoria Street North · Waterloo Catholic District School Board/Downtown Community Centre, 35 Weber Street West · K-W Counselling Centre, 481 Charles Street · XCG Corporate Office, 820 Trillium Drive · Doon Village Retirement Home, 868 Doon Village Drive CONCLUSION: Councillor Christina Weylie and staff will be describing the three awards during the Urban Design A wards Presentation. The presentation of these awards will take place at the Council meeting on Monday, September 25,2006. There will be no press release until after the presentation of the awards at Council. We would ask you to keep the winning sites confidential until after the presentation. Also, please join us at the 5: 15 p.m. reception in the Rotunda honouring the "Short List of Design A ward Contestants" and the Mike Wagner Heritage Award recipients. The author of this report would also like to recognize the contributions from additional city staff who contributed to the 2006 Urban Design Awards presentation, including Cory Bluhm, Joanne Sutherland, Lenore Ross, Lisa Thompson, Michael Palmer and the co-op planning students. Ryan Mounsey, BES, MUDS, MCIP, RPP Senior Planner Jeff Willmer, MCIP, RPP Director of Planning Brian Page, CET, OALA, CSLA Supervisor of Site Plan Development Attachments Award Recipients Project Descriptions Nomination A wards "Projects felt worthy of submission to the final judging committee" 520 Bingemans Centre Drive MTE Consultants Inc. Located in Kitchener's newest business park, MTE offers a unique fa<;ade that complements the surrounding buildings. The entrance feature is the focal point with a small yet effective water feature and a large window that is projected from the building. The landscaping offers a mixture of plant species that softens the hardscape features of the area. The majority of parking is located behind the building offering an attractive and pleasing streetscape. 901 Victoria Street North Victoria Village Plaza The emphasis at Victoria Village Plaza is architecture and building massing. Gabled windows and roof pitches offer a smooth flow throughout the site. A rooftop patio adds to the amenity space of the site. 35 Weber Street West WCDSB/Downtown Community Centre This shared accommodation building sprnced up its image through a building addition to the main entrance. The main entrance is a 3 storey step back steel strncture complete with tinted windows at each storey and a steel strncture that modernizes the building. 481 Charles Street K- W Counselling Centre A great example of adaptive re-use, the K-W Counselling Centre transformed a repair shop into a modern and colourful building. The site which is located between King St E and Charles St offers pedestrian linkages and amenity spaces. Several trees were retained on site and the landscaping provides a unique flow throughout the site. 868 Doon Village Road Doon Village Retirement Residence Located in a residential area, Doon Village Retirement Residence adds to the residential character and enhances the streetscape at a key intersection. Wrought iron fencing surrounds the property and is accompanied by beautiful landscaping and stone pillars. The well-designed building is complemented with warm colours and outside amenity spaces including gazebos and a patio complete with a beautiful trellis. 820 Trillium Drive XCG Corporate Office Located beside Huron Natural Area, XCG's Corporate Office uses bold yet subtle colours with stone-work pillars on a small, yet attractive office. A mixture of stucco material complements the surrounding industrial and office buildings but it also provides interesting design that is original in the area. A wards of Merit "To recognize specific site elements" 4278 King Street East Deloitte Office This contemporary office building is located adjacent to Highway 8 in the south end of Kitchener. Challenged with steep grades, the designers utilized the grades with interesting landscaping and features. The landscaping has an excellent variety of plant material and is very well maintained. The main element on site is a creative amenity space that includes a relaxing water feature, seating area and beautiful landscaping. 2255 Shirley Drive ACL Steel The main emphasis at this industrial site is the signage. Located beside the driveway, the steel structure is noticeable yet stunning. Accompanied with a landscaped hill, ACL Steel is a simple building with great elements. The entrance is complete with a curved metal gate with ACL Steel's logo on it. 555 King Street East Betzner Brownstones Guided by the New York City style of brownstone buildings, this townhouse project is a symbol of unique design and form. Elegant site elements include lighting, fencing and porches which are located on the roof top and floor levels. The building creates an attractive streetscape for King St East by using its limited setback and all brick fa<;ade. 1440 Ottawa Street South Casey's Bar and Grill This gateway restaurant building provides an attractive entrance into the Sunrise Shopping Centre and provides a comfortable patio space reinforced with the use of materials used in the arbour, fencing and the landscape of the site. 1187 Fischer Hallman Road Home Hardware Building This commercial building contributes to a pedestrian friendly experience located in a developing shopping area in the Town Centre style. The building design incorporates good variety to the massing and its elevations, an internal loading dock to the building and it is a leading example of what's to come in commercial development. A wards of Excellence "To recognize overall design quality" 209 Frederick Street Office Building This project was developed close to downtown Kitchener in a mixed use neighbourhood. The new 19,000 sq.ft. office building was designed to fit easily into the historic neighbourhood character and replicates the rhythm of the former homes on the site using a second empire/mansard concept to reduce the apparent height and mass of the building. Building materials and details were also selected to reinforce the heritage character of turn-of-the-century Berlin homes. The office building has principal entrances at the intersection of Lancaster and Frederick and from the parking lot with a somewhat formal landscape design complementing the architectural using a mix of trees and shrubs. New and existing trees help shade the parking lot and provide a visual context for the building.