Project Description

The concept of the “15-minute neighbourhood” is a residential area in which every day needs can be met within a 15-minute walk radius. The city of Ottawa has implemented this concept into its official design guidelines with the intent of cutting down car mobility while bringing goods and services closer to dwellers. Located in Ottawa’s Industrial Park, the Valley offers interconnectivity between the enclaved site and the rest of the urban fabric. The main design strategy is to radically open up the site to pedestrians while harmonizing the link between transit stops and the adjacent surroundings. The central valley drops users 18 meters below grade into an endless playground that can adapt to various seasonal conditions. Amateur rock climbing in the summer or tobogganing in the winter, the flexibility of the Valley allows for natural growth and the creation of organic moments. This urban intervention looks at new ways of combining high density living and human centric design. By giving back a significant portion of the site exclusively to pedestrians, the quality of the public realm is significantly improved. This is an attempt at introducing alternative lifestyles in an area dominated by big box stores.