Gord Lorimer: Over 40 Years of Design for Community

As Gord Lorimer, Partner, takes a step back from the firm’s leadership towards retirement, we give thanks for his contribution to the team. Gord’s role will shift now to “Partner, Special Projects” as he remains active with the firm on a part-time basis, and his commitment will focus on project types that are near and dear to his heart, such as City Building and faith-based work.

“You were my first employee. Over five decades, you have been the most collaborative person I have ever worked with, and that’s incredibly special…you are foundational to a lot of the core values of the firm,” comments Barry Hobin as the team bids farewell in a personal video presentation. Watch our website for an upcoming retrospective of Gord’s achievements and contributions over his 40+ years with Hobin Architecture.

Dan Henhoeffer Appointed Director

Hobin Architecture wishes to congratulate Dan Henhoeffer, Senior Technologist, on becoming a Director of the company. Dan joined our team in 2014, bringing with him a wealth of experience in the detailed design, construction documentation and project management of projects in a wide range of sectors. Notable achievements include the Bayview Yards design-build project for Invest Ottawa, The Annex Student Residence at uOttawa and Riocan’s City Park Drive Mixed-Use Village.

Along with leading a number of major projects through production and construction, Dan has championed our firm’s implementation of parametric building modeling using Revit software. This technology allows us to produce highly coordinated construction documentation very quickly, through the intelligence that is built into the 3D model.

Dan joins Directors Reinhard Vogel and Marc Thivierge.

GOHBA Awards Finalists | Cast Your Vote!

All six projects entered in this year’s Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association design awards have advanced to the Finalist stage. Online voting for the esteemed Peoples’ Choice Award takes place from Oct. 20 to 25 for custom homes categories, and from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 for production homes and condos. Please cast your vote at www.gohbavote.ca. Winners will be announced at the virtual gala in November.

Bill Ritcey: Celebrating 12 Years of Leadership in Wood Frame Design

Over his twelve years with the firm, Bill Ritcey had the pleasure of working on projects with such clients as Uniform Developments, Springcress Properties, eQ Homes, Huntington Properties and Gemstone Developments. Bill has passed along a wealth of knowledge and skill to Hobin’s wood frame group, and his mark left on the firm’s portfolio is evidence of his dedication to quality and design excellence.

Recent Project Milestones

Ottawa Community Housing’s “Mosaïq” project at 811 Gladstone Avenue is Canada’s largest residential Passive House. OCH’s Robert MacNeil and Gordon Downes joined the Hobin project team for a group photo shortly after the project was topped off.

Project Team: Gord Lorimer, Doug Brooks, Marc Thivierge, Leila Emmrys, Scott Labrosse, Juan Gomez, Shawn Leduc.

This custom residence overlooking McKay Lake in Rockcliffe Park is now complete thanks to our wood frame team and builder Roca Homes. The 5,400 sq.ft home has been nominated for a North American Copper in Architecture Award.

Project Team: Rheal Labelle, Kent Bugatsch, Barry Hobin.

Zibi’s “Kanaal” is the first building to be occupied on the Ontario side of the Domtar Lands redevelopment which straddles the Ottawa River. As a One Planet Community, Zibi achieves the highest green building standards for materials, water, energy and indoor air quality, and is a zero carbon sustainability showpiece.

Project Team: Gord Lorimer, Doug Brooks, Patrick Bisson, Ammar Jaratly.

“Milieu,” the first phase of Greystone’s mixed-use complex topped off recently, with the second phase advancing not far behind. The project will knit 235 rental apartments and ground floor retail space into the master planned redevelopment of the former Oblate Lands on Main Street by Regional Group. Milieu will be the third apartment building at Greystone, with the River Terraces now nearing completion.

Project Team: Marc Thivierge, Alison Legere, Hugo Latreille, Jeff Chaput, Noor Alqaaod.

Reinhard Vogel, Project Director, tours the site of The Grove Redevelopment with Darrel O’Shaughnessy from the Men’s Shed in Arnprior. Construction of the new 96-bed long-term care home has advanced quickly through the summer months and is nearly enclosed.

Project Team: Wendy Brawley, Reinhard Vogel, Bryan Bonell, Melanie Lamontagne, Claudio Zhang.

At 31,855 square feet, Farm Boy’s largest store to date opened in Newmarket in September, featuring all new features such as a warehouse-inspired cafe, kombucha bar and a shipping container chip truck. The brand expansion includes new exterior identity elements that are being rolled out at new locations across the province.

Project Team: Rheal Labelle, David Anderson.

Bayview Yards – Green Building Award

Ottawa’s innovation centre, Cours Bayview Yards, has garnered a Canadian Green Building Award for excellence in building renewal. The project showcases the potential for the adaptive reuse of vacant industrial buildings, executed affordably and sustainably. The jury were impressed by how such a reinvention “can transform the dynamics of a neighbourhood, create a sense of place, and at the same time support social and cultural continuity.” They also noted that “the LEED Gold certification is exemplary for an adaptive reuse project.”

Pictured above are team members Leila Emmrys, Sandy Davis, Dan Henhoeffer and Hugo Latreille. The Bayview Yards Design Build Team includes Morley Hoppner, 4Té Inc, Adjeleian Allen Rubeli, Bouthillette Parizeau, CSW Landscape Architects, D. B. Gray Engineering Inc, Arborus Consulting, The Attain Group, Commonwealth Historic Resource Management.

Remembering Chip Piatti

Francesco (“Chip”) Piatti is remembered as being a soft spoken, good humoured gentleman, and a fountain of knowledge in architectural history and anthropology. This Thanksgiving, the Hobin team gives thanks for bringing us together with Chip over the years on office tours throughout the eastern USA; they have surely enriched us both professionally and personally. Please see the full tribute to Chip.

Barry J. Hobin Inducted into the Order of Ottawa

“The 2020 inductees into the Order of Ottawa are a group of tremendously accomplished residents whose leadership, creativity and hard work serve as an inspiration for us all,” said Mayor Jim Watson, who established this prestigious civic award in 2012. Barry proudly receives this honour along with his friends and mentors Rev. Dr. Anthony Bailey (pictured above in 2019) and Dave O’Malley.

Barry is the only practicing Architect to be granted this esteem. Biographies of all the 2020 inductees are available on the City of Ottawa website.

Planning for the Future

In September, members of Hobin Architecture’s emerging leadership group met with strategic planning consultants Innovia Partners to consider their path into the future as the company continues to spread its wings. Thanks to The Opinicon for hosting our meeting and the socially distanced celebration that followed.

The post Celebrating 2020 Awards, Milestones and Memories appeared first on Hobin Architecture.

Chip is remembered as being a soft spoken, good humoured gentleman, and a fountain of knowledge in architectural history and anthropology. This Thanksgiving, the Hobin team gives thanks for bringing us together with Chip over the years; it has surely enriched us both professionally and personally. Read on as members of our team reflect on their time spent with Chip.

“Chip was such a wonderful person.  His contributions to our field trips were very special.  Some of the most memorable moments of our journeys together involved Chip. His knowledge and passion for architecture were obvious, but his connection to people and desire to share his passion with us will stay with us forever.  A true loss to the architectural community.”

—Doug Brooks, Partner

“Very sad to hear. Chip was always there to conduct tours for us whenever we asked, however far way from his hometown in Boston and he did so with such passion. A relationship that stretched back as far as 2001.”

—Reinhard Vogel, Director

“My first experience with Chip was at the Washington Mall. His story telling and sharing his knowledge of the history behind its layout was eye opening. He will be sorely missed.”

—Karen Griffith, Arch. Tech.

“Ahhhh… I was very fond of Chip. When we were in Pittsburgh, Sandy and I spent most of Sunday with him. …my favourite moment has to have been at the end of the Harvard/MIT tour when we went into the circular chapel and began to sing. He was a wonderful guy. He often talked of coming to Ottawa but it never happened.”

—Gord Lorimer, Partner

“Very sad news indeed. Chip always had so much to share, so much to teach and always had time for everyone.”

—Dan Henhoeffer, Associate

“Such sad news. Times with Chip on our trips are some of the fondest memories I have. He always had so many little thoughtful insights; I was amazed by all the things that he was up to and I would regularly seek him out when we wandered from destination to destination as I found I learned more in those “moments between the moments” than I could have ever learned in a classroom. I consider it a special privilege to have been able to meet such an amazing person. Rest in Peace, Chip.”

—Scott Labrosse, Arch. Tech.

The post Remembering Chip Piatti (1946-2020) appeared first on Hobin Architecture.