Project Description

This project aims to intensify the area around a key urban transit node along the Ottawa LRT route while drawing on traces of the former Alphabet Village to create a sense of community and sense of place that is characterized by the act of urban wandering and exploration. As a second phase of the design, The Aperture and The  Village present two approaches to placemaking that encourages a form of urban living that accommodates all stages of life. The design of The Aperture encourages community engagement by emphasizing a user-focused design that allows the occupant to manipulate the building facade through the use of mobile shades. The Village, through an interlocking pattern of modules and interstitial space around a central courtyard, facilitates both private and community-oriented living while providing opportunities for a unique rainwater harvesting system and green roofs. The integration of a performing arts centre, exterior amphitheatre and public gardens within the larger residential development invites a playfulness for the urban persona to explore and sets the stage for architecture to become a character in the city.