“The Jury sees this type of project as a positive step in city building and encourages similar approaches to integrating affordable housing into existing communities.”

—Jury of the 2023 City of Ottawa Urban Design Awards

Located at 811 Gladstone Avenue in Ottawa, Rochester Heights Redevelopment Phase 1 (aka “Mosaïq”) is an affordable and sustainable urban community owned and operated by Ottawa Community Housing.

In its first phase, the redevelopment of Rochester Heights redefines this urban site by carefully addressing the scale and building articulation at each of its street fronts while placing emphasis on creating vibrant and inviting exterior gathering spaces. As the first residential Passive House project of this scale in Canada, the building’s innovative design adheres to strict Phius standards resulting in a defining aesthetic. The project serves as a catalyst for a thriving, sustainable and socially inclusive development within a safe and durable environment while instilling pride and a sense of place for its inhabitants.

The project was completed in 2022, and our team is now preparing the construction documents for the second phase of redevelopment.

The distinguished panel of jurors consisted of Brigitte Shim (Shim-Sutcliffe Architects), Graeme Stewart (ERA Architects) and Anne Bordeleau (Director of the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism at Carleton University).

“This exemplar project is an example of how to provide increased density and affordable housing within an existing neighborhood through the use of appropriate height, scale and site design. The energy performance and resiliency targets were also exemplary.”

—Jury of the 2023 City of Ottawa Urban Design Awards

Hobin Architecture was the only team to receive an Award of Excellence in both 2023 and 2021. Rochester Heights Redevelopment Phase 1 marks the eleventh Ottawa Urban Design Award to be received by Hobin. As an Award of Excellence recipient, Rochester Heights Redevelopment Phase 1 will automatically be considered for an RAIC National Urban Design Award in 2024. To learn more about Rochester Heights Redevelopment Phase One, please visit the 811 Gladstone Avenue project page.

Award of Merit – Greystone Village

Greystone Village also received an Award of Merit in the Public Places and Civic Spaces category, recognizing the project’s pathway connections along the Rideau River waterfront between the new community and its neighbours to north and south. Greystone Village was master planned in 2014 through a collaborative effort by Hobin Architecture, Novatech and eQ Homes/Regional Group.

The post Ottawa Urban Design Award of Excellence: Rochester Heights Phase 1 appeared first on Hobin Architecture.

Succession and Transition

As we plan for the future, important changes are taking place within the firm to ensure long-term continuity for our repeat clients and our own community.

Needing no introduction, longstanding employees Marc Thivierge and Reinhard Vogel were named Partners within the firm. Marc and Reinhard have both been with our team for 25+ years and now lead project teams as well as being central to the firm’s core management.

Additionally, three key Hobin Architecture team members became Directors in 2022. Melanie Lamontagne, RhEAL Labelle and Patrick Bisson have each been with the firm for over ten years, and have taken on leadership roles in their respective areas of specialization. They join Dan Henhoeffer as Directors.

As we celebrate these advancements, we also send our farewells with heartfelt gratitude to Gord Lorimer, Sandy Davis and Bryan Bonell, all of whom have been with the firm for over 30 years. We remind them that even though they have retired, they will always be members of the Hobin Architecture family.

Field Trip to Quebec City

Our team was delighted to get back to our annual field trip this year, having cancelled it due to the pandemic for the past two years. Quebec City was our destination, and the team was unanimous in their wonder at all the City has to offer.

Highlights of the trip were: An in-depth presentation at Lab-École—a progressive organization that set out to change the way we think about school design; tours of YMCA Saint-Roch, Le Diamant Theatre and Musée National des Beaux-Arts. The team celebrated together with a dinner cruise up the St. Lawrence River.

Thanks to Jonathan Hobin for the group photo at Maison de la Literature (right).

Ten GOHBA Awards

The Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association holds two major awards programs annually: the Housing Design Awards and the Sales and Marketing Awards. This year, Hobin Architecture received ten awards between the two programs.

The Passive House affordable housing project at 811 Gladstone Avenue (Marc Thivierge, Doug Brooks, Shawn Leduc) received the Not-for-Profit Project award. A custom home at 52 Civic Place (Hugo Latreille, Kent Bugatsch) received awards in four categories with RELM Builders Inc. and Astro Design Centre.

Farmside Green (Todd Duckworth, Jennifer Adams) with RND Construction brought home awards in three categories including Green Production Home of the Year for the second year in a row. Greystone Village (Marc Thivierge, Noor Alqaaod, Michelle Cataldo, Jeff Chaput, Hugo Latreille, Alison Legere), with eQ Homes, was named Best Community and Best Condo at the SAM Awards.

Community Heritage Award Application

While we won’t know the results until early next year, we wanted to share with you the pride we feel having received endorsements from four key individuals in support of a Community Heritage Award application made to the City of Ottawa in November.

The nomination was made by Associate Professor Benjamin Gianni of Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism, with letters of reference from: Sally Coutts, former Senior Heritage Planner; John J. Stewart, a founding member of the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals; and well-known journalist and architecture critic Rhys Phillips.

In her reference letter, Sally comments, “preservation and adaptive re-use of heritage buildings are important parts of Hobin Architecture’s practice. […] the firm has contributed to the enhancement of the City’s public realm and lead to the preservation of important buildings for future generations.”

You Give, We Give

Hobin Architecture’s charitable giving program, “You Give, We Give,” continues through December and we are hopeful that it will be as successful as it was last year. Conceived in 2021, the “You Give, We Give” program strives to stimulate new support for community organizations in need.

The firm pledges to match new donations to four vital organizations in our community, up to a total of $10,000 per beneficiary.

It’s not too late to help us reach this year’s goal. Please visit:

https://www.hobinarc.com/news/giving/

to learn about these four organizations and show your support.

Two additional fundraisers for 2022 were The Mission’s “Summer of Hope,” raising over $62,000 for the homeless and needy, and Movember, a staff-organized fundraiser in support of Men’s health. This year’s “MHO-BIN” team raised an all-time high of $3,753.

Project Highlights

Block 208 and Kanaal are the first two buildings of Zibi’s Chaudière Island redevelopment to be completed and occupied. The buildings front onto Head Street Square, a public space intended to celebrate the site’s industrial history while honouring the traditional Algonquin Anishinabe territory on which it was built.

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

BGC Ottawa’s Taggart Parkes Family Clubhouse was completed in March following an impressive construction phase of only 10-months. Situated in Ottawa’s Heatherington community, the new clubhouse enables BGC Ottawa to reach roughly 5,000 youths and children in need, giving them the skills and tools to grow and thrive in uncertain times.

Project Team: Barry Hobin, Doug Van Den Ham.

Luma is the first phase of the redevelopment of RioCan’s Elmvale Acres shopping centre. The 168-unit building’s stepped floor plan achieves a massing that reads as two buildings, and an outdoor passageway at the ground floor minimizes the building’s interruption to pedestrian flow.

Project Team: Patrick Bisson, Noor Alqaaod, Doug Brooks, Sean O’Rourke.

Amica The Glebe was toured by our team shortly before it welcomed residents this summer. The elegant retirement home located at 900 Bank Street boasts a continuum of care on one site with options for independent living, assisted living, respite care and memory care.

Project Team: Wendy Brawley, Noor Alqaaod, Doug Brooks, Kurt Draper, Melanie Lamontagne.

St. Thomas the Apostle School — Construction of this 46,300 sq. ft. addition to St. Joseph’s High School in Renfrew is soon to begin. It will provide 434 student spaces, 73 childcare spaces, 6 secondary classrooms, expanded cafeteria and learning commons, 4 childcare rooms and an EarlyON room. The build will replace an outdated school located on an adjacent site.

Project Team: Wendy Brawley, Madelyn Byrtus, Michelle Cataldo, Jeff Chaput, Shona Dunderdale, Melanie Lamontagne, Reinhard Vogel.

Salvation Army Centre of Hope Ottawa will offer vital services, community spaces and supportive housing serving local and city-wide needs. Described by the Salvation Army as a “place of hope and transformation,” the Centre is designed to provide a continuum of care to ensure the best chance for those who come there to get back on their feet.

Project Team: Patrick Bisson, Laura Clark, Melanie Lamontagne, Hugo Latreille.

Rochesterville — Hobin Architecture’s Passive House Design Team are hard at work on the second phase of Ottawa Community Housing’s redevelopment of Rochester Heights. The redevelopment will combine industry-leading sustainability measures with Hobin Architecture’s signature community design approach.

Project Team: Marc Thivierge, David Anderson, Scott Armstrong, Cameron Deans, Shawn Leduc.

Maple View Lodge, now under construction in Athens, will offer specialized health care, behavioural support and palliative care in a safe and modern facility. By introducing 132 new beds, the redeveloped Lodge will provide some much needed relief to the overpopulation and staffing crises in nearby hospitals.

Project Team: Wendy Brawley, Madelyn Byrtus, Michelle Cataldo, Ryan Fleming, Reinhard Vogel.

211 Centrum Boulevard is the first project to be built in Ontario by Montreal-based developer of seniors’ communities, Groupe Maurice. Expected to begin construction in 2023, the building will introduce nearly 400 senior apartments, surrounding a landscaped courtyard, to the community of Orleans.

Project Team: Wendy Brawley, Jennifer Heaney, Dan Henhoeffer, RhEAL Labelle, Shawn Leduc, Fabiano Medeiros.

The Regina custom residence was completed this summer. Its backyard is a haven for outdoor living, with swimming pool, spa, patio and three-season outdoor room. The 4-bedroom home also features a secluded home office overlooking an elegantly landscaped terraced front yard. The home received an RRHBA Master Award in 2021.

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

Echo Canal, by Uniform Developments, was topped off this fall at 115 Echo Drive. The building’s design draws inspiration from the lines of the adjacent Rideau Canal, to which residents will enjoy unobstructed views when complete next year.

Project Team: RhEAL Labelle, Noor Alqaaod, Daniel Boulanger, Doug Brooks, Barry Hobin, Alison Legere, Sean O’Rourke.

Au Coeur d’Ottawa Elementary School (K-6 plus daycare) for Conseil des Écoles Catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) continues to take share at Greystone Village. This project will introduce a multi-functional community and recreational facility at the heart of the new neighbourhood.

Project Team: Doug Van Den Ham, Jennifer Heaney.

The post 2022 Year in Review appeared first on Hobin Architecture.

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.

Our 40th year in full swing, #METAMORP40SIS continues to be filled with new projects, celebrations, and exciting announcements. To add to this year’s list of accomplishments, Hobin Architecture has been shortlisted for nine projects, in 7 different categories, at the 36th Annual Housing Design Awards presented by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association.

The awards take place on Saturday, October 19th at the Shaw Centre.

In the running are:

353 Winston Avenue
Custom Urban Home (3,000 sq. ft. or less) – Contemporary
Custom Kitchen (251 sq. ft. or more) – Contemporary $75,001 and over
Custom Bathroom (100 sq. ft. or less) – Contemporary
(with Astro Design Centre)

This distinctive Westboro home is a bold take on a traditional urban house. With a strong connection between house and yard, simple open planning with bold materiality and modern massing, this vibrant home makes a big statement.

10 Rosemount Avenue
Mid-Rise Apartment (Condo or Rental, 5-9 storeys)
(with Tamarack Developments)

The first of a multi-phased redevelopment of an underutilized site in Ottawa’s Wellington Village, 10 Rosemount is a 52-unit, six-storey mixed-use building, and is the cornerstone in the reinvented property. The building’s exterior is characterized by a bold pattern of window mullions which mimic an industrial feel, creating a sense of history and permanence. Its neighbour at 1140 Wellington Street West is a finalist in the High Rise category.

1140 Wellington Street
High-Rise Apartment (Condo or Rental, 10 storeys or more)
(with Tamarack Developments)

1140 Wellington is a defining thirteen-storey, 184-unit apartment building constructed behind the former Bethany Hope Centre in Hintonburg. This building completes the redevelopment of the 1.2 acre site, which includes 10 Rosemount as well as the renovated heritage building and landscaped forecourt.

A Human-Scaled Tower in Little Italy
High-Rise Apartment (Condo or Rental, 10 storeys or more)

This project, marketed as “Nuovo,” is a 20-storey tower on Rochester Street in Little Italy, just steps from vibrant Preston Street and serene Dow’s Lake. The building boasts impressive views in all directions and is made up of a wide range of unit sizes and layouts. The building’s facades are designed to reduce its perceived height and complement the neighbourhood.

eQuinelle
New Community (with eQ Homes)

eQuinelle, a community developed with eQ Homes and The Regional Group, is nominated for “New Community” of the Year. eQuinelle is very special in that it embodies a four-season experience for its residents, including an award-winning golf course, hiking and skiing trails, and an onsite Clubhouse with classes and adventures for both young and mature. Completely surrounded by nature, it’s a community lifestyle like no other.

536 Cole Avenue
Custom Urban Home (3,000 sq. ft. or less) – Traditional

Created as one half of a pair of customs, 536 Cole Ave is a unique and whimsical interpretation of an arts and crafts home, combining bold detailing with a simple, timeless 1.5 storey form. The home makes a strong urban statement by removing the car and garage from the front façade.

River Terraces II at Greystone Village
Mid-Rise Apartment (Condo or Rental, 5-9 storeys)
(with eQ Homes)

River Terraces II is the second phase of a mid-rise condo development at Greystone Village, located between Main Street and the Rideau River in the heart of Old Ottawa East. Purchasers will enjoy the many amenities that Greystone Village has brought to the neighbourhood, as well as those that already exist, such as walking paths along the river and the shops and restaurants of Main Street. Greystone Village was named Best Planned New Community last year at the awards, recognized both for its innovative land planning approach and its sustainable and contextual design.

The post 2019 GOHBA Awards Finalists appeared first on Hobin Architecture.

Here is a quick glance at the awards we so fortunately accepted this year.

Canadian Wood Council | Ontario Wood WORKS! Awards

November 2018

Ontario Wood WORKS! celebrated excellence in wood design with the presentation of its 18th annual Ontario Awards Program on November 20th in Vaughan, Ontario. At this event, Hobin Architecture was honoured to accept the “Commercial Wood Design” award for the showroom and design centre of OakWood Designers & Builders. Wood elements for this project, which was designed to achieve LEED Platinum, include cedar soffits, rough-hewn timber roof beams and brackets, reclaimed lumber, acoustic wall panels finished in natural oak and a series of large lattice screens. Members from our team were proud to celebrate this win with John Liptak, President of OakWood Ottawa. The project is featured in the 2018 Ontario Wood Works! Calendar.

In September, OakWood was named “Renovator of the Year” from the Ontario Home Builders’ Association. On behalf of our entire team, we want to congratulate them on a very successful year as well.

ConstructConnect reports.

Ontario Home Builders’ Association | Awards of Distinction

September 2018

At the end of September, the Ontario Home Builders’ Association held their annual Awards of Distinction – a gala event part of a 3-day OHBA conference which took place in Ottawa this year. The “Schoolhouse Lofts” aka Yard & Station – which previously won a GOHBA Housing Design Award in 2017 – took home the trophy for “Mid-Rise Building 4-10 Storeys”.

It was also runner-up in the High or Mid-Rise Condo Suite category, for these provincial honours.

Another proud partnership with Ottawa developer Morley Hoppner, the school building at 12 Stirling offered a sense of place, history and a visual landmark to the otherwise unassuming street. Its demolition would have erased an important part of the history and identity of the street and Hintonburg community, and while the redeveloped building has a completely new use and layout, its schoolhouse character was successfully preserved as a legacy to the street and to the greater community.

The Ottawa Citizen reports.

Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association | Annual Housing Design Awards

October 2018

On October 20th in our nation’s capital, members from Hobin Architecture attended the 2018 Housing Design Awards hosted by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association. We were honoured to accept the following Design Excellence Awards:

1. “Best Planned New Community,” for Greystone Village (with eQ Homes)
2. “Best Built New Community,” for The Haven Multifaith Housing Initiative
3. “Best Custom Urban Home (2,401-3,500 sq. ft.),” for 48 Civic Place
4. “Best Low-Rise Suite,” for The Vista at Richardson Ridge (with Uniform Developments and 2H Interior Design)
5. “Any Room in the House,” for 526 Kenwood Avenue (with 2H Interior Design & Cada Construction)

The Ottawa Citizen reports.

Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association | Sales & Marketing (SAM) Awards

November 2018

After winning big at this year’s GOHBA Housing Design Awards, the Hobin Architecture-designed Greystone Village development by eQ Homes scooped up the most trophies at the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association’s Sales and Marketing Awards (SAMs) on November 20th. Amongst a large list of awards their team took home, they received “Best Condo Project” for the River Terraces at Greystone Village.

Also a winner at the SAMs was Uniform Developments – who won for “Best Condo Model (Low Rise)” for the Vista model at Richardson Ridge. Another Hobin-designed project and proud partnership.

The Ottawa Citizen reports.

The post 2018: A Year of Award Winning Projects appeared first on Hobin Architecture.

Last year we were successful in the condo and custom home categories at the GOHBA Awards. This year, we couldn’t be more pleased with our 15 nominations, and we very much enjoyed working along our co-nominees, Uniform Developments, eQ Homes, Cada Construction and 2H Interior Design. An additional five finalists were named for Hobin-designed projects that were entered by industry colleagues, for a combined total of 20 contenders for 2018.

GOHBA Nominations

• New Community (Built):
  The Haven (photo above)
• New Community (Planned):
  Greystone Village – with eQ Homes

• Production Home: Single Detached (2,601 – 3,500 sq. ft.) – $750,001 and over:
  The Harris – with Uniform Urban Developments
• Production Home: Attached (2,001 sq. ft. or more):
  The Lawrence – with Uniform Urban Developments & 2H Interior Design
• Custom Urban Home (2,401 – 3,500 sq. ft.):
  48 Civic Place
• Custom Urban Home (3,501 sq. ft. or more):
  Hilltop House – with Cada Construction & 2H Interior Design

• Mid-Rise Building (5-9 storeys):
  10 Rosemount Avenue – with Tamarack Homes
• Mid-Rise Building (5-9 storeys):
  The Elements Flats – with Uniform Urban Developments
• Low Rise Suite:
  The Vista – with Uniform Urban Developments & 2H Interior Design
• Mid to High-Rise Suite (501 sq. ft. or more):
  The LeBreton Penthouse – with Tamarack Homes

• Housing Details:
  A Minimalist Ascent – with 2H Interior Design & Cada Construction
• Any Room in the House:
  Sumptuous Great Room – with 2H Interior Design & Cada Construction
• Exterior Details:
  Exotic Urban Spa – with 2H Interior Design & Cada Construction
• Exterior Living Space:
  Four Season Outdoor Oasis – with 2H Interior Design & Cada Construction
• Custom Bathroom (Powder Room):
  Geometric Powder Room – with 2H Interior Design & Cada Construction

OHBA Nominations

With the success of Yard & Station at last year’s GOHBA Awards, the project, informally known as the “Schoolhouse Lofts,” is now competing at the provincial level. We are excited to announce that the project is a finalist in both categories entered (with Morley Hoppner):

• High or Mid-Rise Condo Suite (4+ Storeys 801 sq. ft. and over)
• Mid-Rise Building (4 – 10 Storeys)

The school building at 12 Stirling had offered a sense of place, history and a visual landmark to the otherwise unassuming street. Its demolition would have erased an important part of the history and identity of the street and Hintonburg community, and while the redeveloped building has a completely new use and layout, its schoolhouse character was successfully preserved as a legacy to the street and to the greater community.

Read more about Yard & Station

As always, these nominations are proof of our commitment to good design and we’re immensely grateful for the acknowledgement. We’re looking forward to attending the upcoming awards ceremonies and honoured to be nominated alongside all the other talented firms.

The post Hobin projects lauded at regional and provincial levels appeared first on Hobin Architecture.

Greystone Village is a unique urban development on a site that is steeped in history and community significance.

For more than 150 years the 26 acre site has been the home of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Sisters of the Sacred Heart. From here the Oblate Fathers had a powerful influence on the development of the community of Old Ottawa East in the founding of churches, schools, and St. Paul University. With its central location, vast open space, and long shoreline along the Rideau River, the site also became a prime unofficial recreation area. Informal linkages between neighbourhoods were created through the site as well.

When the Oblate Fathers began to consider the sale of this asset, they had the foresight to engage in a visioning exercise with the community and the City. Out of this process emerged both a community design plan and a spirit of collaboration.

The Regional Group acquired the site and commissioned Hobin Architecture to develop a Master Plan, ensuring that this collaborative approach was integrated into the design process. The planning process, led by Gord Lorimer and Barry Hobin, was based on the firm’s experience and commitment to city building over the last 30 years. Both principals, who live nearby, were conscious of successfully integrating the new project. The guiding principle in the planning process was the implementation of a sustainable design template while recognizing history, sense of place, housing diversity and neighborhood connections.

The preservation and repurposing of the heritage monastery and its formal allée and forecourt, the restoration of the historic Oblates Avenue as an access loop, and the naturalization of a 30 metre wide band of the Rideau River shoreline are the primary organizing elements of the Master Plan. These elements provide a strong sense of identity for both the community and the development while also preserving and enhancing public access through the site.

The Master Plan embraces its context by extending the historic narrow street pattern into the site employing new urbanist and sustainable design principles. When the project is complete, Greystone Village will have almost doubled the community population. Approximately 1000 dwelling units will be constructed across the site employing a wide range of building typologies and households including condos, three-storey towns, and single homes up to and including larger homes on 35 foot lots – to suit buyers of all ages eager to embrace a new, green, water-front community.

Private parking will be accessed from rear lanes freeing the streetscape from driveways.  This public realm will feature intense landscaping and ample on-street visitor parking. An innovative “window street” will provide a context geared to pedestrians and cyclists while permitting modest vehicular movement.

The Greystone project is now becoming a reality thanks to the collaborative planning, design and production efforts put forth by Barry Hobin, Gord Lorimer, Kent Bugatsch, Bill Ritcey, Marc Thivierge, Steve Clifford, Doug Van Den Ham, Todd Duckworth, Hugo Latreille, Jeff Chaput, Alison Michelin, Jennifer Guidry, Ammar Jaratly, Patrick Bisson and Benoit Maranda.

While steadily underway, Greystone has already recieved recognition for its concept and marketing. Recent awards include a City of Ottawa Urban Design Award of Merit and two GOHBA Sales and Marketing (SAM) awards (see full article HERE). Visit www.greystonevillage.ca for more information or to register for updates.

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