Focus on Leadership

Hobin Architecture has always held high the importance of transferring knowledge to the next generation of leaders within the firm. As our growing team reached nearly 50 people this year, it was critical that we adopt a structure to ensure this flow of information throughout the entire team, while providing a more refined management and administrative framework. The new structure ensures that each member of our team has the appropriate level of mentorship involvement based on their degree of experience and areas of specialization.

Pictured above are members of our leadership group at the annual Philanthropy Awards (left), and our team field trip to Philadelphia (right). Photo credit: Jonathan Hobin.

We would like to take this opportunity to recognize our current leadership:

Watch our social channels and website over the coming months for spotlights on our team leaders.

A Humbling Award from AFP Ottawa

In November, we were humbled to be named Outstanding Small Business Philanthropist by AFP Ottawa. AFP describes the recipient: “This company exhibits outstanding civic and charitable responsibility and its generosity encourages others to take philanthropy leadership roles.” Founding Principal, Barry Hobin accepted the award on behalf of the team, reflecting on his personal journey to philanthropism and asserting the importance of mentoring the next generation. Click here to watch Barry’s acceptance speech. Photo credit: Caroline Phillips.

You Give, We Give

This year’s annual fundraising initiative focused on the Ottawa Mission’s “Summer of Hope” campaign. We made a pledge to triple-match donations made over a two-day period, up to $20,000, at the slowest time of year for charitable giving—the middle of summer. Our commitment inspired the generosity of hundreds of other donors, totaling $87,380.

Our firm believes strongly in giving back, and we hope that others in our industry and beyond will be inspired to find ways to leverage their own communities to support important causes. You Give, We Give is Hobin Architecture’s way of mobilizing a force greater than we are on our own to support charities in need.

Foreign Trained Architect Internship Program

Hobin Architecture is pleased to welcome Shivangi Sinha, B.Arch. for her 6-month placement under the Foreign Trained Architect Internship Program (FTAIP), working closely with our partners and gaining exposure to Canada’s regulatory framework and design standards. Shivangi is Licensed under the Council of Architecture in India, and as a LEED Green Associate, has a keen interest in sustainable design.

A collaboration of Hobin Architecture Inc., Architecture49 Inc., Fotenn and CSV Architects, the FTAIP offers an internship opportunity to skilled individuals with Architectural training from outside of Canada. The program is designed to give candidates work experience in a Canadian firm, assisting them in achieving their career goals outside their country of training and/or accreditation. The participating firms offer a 6-month placement to four candidates, providing each with 24 months of relevant Canadian architectural work experience in total.

Todd Duckworth Appointed to Holland Properties Board

The Holland Properties Association (HPA) has announced the appointment of Todd Duckworth to its Board of Directors. An Associate with Hobin Architecture with more than ten years of housing design experience, Todd’s volunteer role will become valuable to the Holland Properties team. The vision of HPA is to provide safe and affordable housing for survivors of homelessness while integrating them into existing stable communities. The Board looks forward to working with Todd as they explore new opportunities in the years ahead.

Todd’s wealth of experience in the residential and non-profit housing sector will offer unique insight to the board’s initiatives.

Field Trip to Philadelphia

This year’s annual field trip brought the team to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania via chartered bus. Tours included the Navy Yard, Charles Library at Temple University, The Barnes Foundation and finally, Cornell University on the way home. We were also pleased to be welcomed by DIGSAU – an architecture firm of similar size and values to those of our own – for a meet & greet and exchange of experience in their downtown office.

During the trip, our team was challenged to compete in a field trip photo contest, of which the top ten finalist entries are showcased above. The winning photo (top left) was taken by Jamison Duff, with runner up going to Jennifer Heaney (bottom left).

Design Awards

In November, the City of Ottawa presented the Urban Design Award of Excellence to the team behind Mosaïq Phase 1 (top). The Passive House affordable housing project at 811 Gladstone Avenue was completed last year, with the second phase now approaching construction. We proudly share this recognition with Fotenn Planning & Design, CSW Landscape Architects and Grant+Henley Design Group. Project Team: Barry Hobin, Gord Lorimer, Doug Brooks, Marc Thivierge, Shawn Leduc, Leila Emmrys.

Our team also brought home three trophies at GOHBA’s Annual Housing Design Awards (bottom row, from left):

Project Highlights

Mosaïq Phase 2 — Formerly known as “Rochesterville”, this Passive House affordable housing project for Ottawa Community Housing broke ground in October. The project adds 273 affordable and sustainable homes to the Mosaïq community which began with 811 Gladstone Avenue. Included is an onsite partnership with PAL Ottawa providing affordable living options for seniors working in the Arts.

Project Team: Marc Thivierge, Barry Hobin, David Anderson, Cameron Deans, Dan Boulanger.

Salvation Army Centre of Hope Ottawa – Now approaching the initial stage of construction, this important project has taken shape through an intense collaborative design and approval process. This first phase will house Family Services and a Café in a renovation of 325 Montreal Rd, and will form an integral component of the overall campus.

Project Team: Patrick Bisson, Dan Henhoeffer, Melanie Lamontagne, Sean O’Rourke, Fabiano Medeiros, Laura Clark, Hugo Latreille, Stuart Thomson.

G. Tackaberry and Family Home located at the New Maple View Landings is taking shape for the United Counties of Leeds & Grenville. The 192-bed Long-Term Care Home will offer specialized health care, behavioural support and palliative care in a safe and modern facility. Incorporating best practices and lessons learned through the pandemic, the new Home is slated for occupancy in mid 2025.

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

Dundas Manor Long-Term Care Home, where exemplary care is provided to the residents – Over ten years after our initial study work for the redevelopment, construction is planned to commence in the next few weeks. The project will replace the former 98-bed facility with a bright and welcoming new Home for 128 aging loved ones. The Home’s design incorporates best practices and lessons learned through the pandemic.

Project Team: Wendy Brawley, Doug Brooks, Melanie Lamontagne, Shona Dunderdale, Donovan Gifford, Ryan Fleming.

Woodvale Pentecostal Church — the new youth wing is progressing well towards construction. When completed, the renovation and addition will greatly expand the church’s programming for children and youth, while providing flexible spaces for community use. The addition will enhance the facility’s connection to the street while promoting Woodvale’s identity within the neighborhood by providing spaces that support the growth of the church, it’s congregation and the community.

Project Team: Marc Thivierge, Alison Legere.

Fire Station 45, serving the community of Kanata North, is now just weeks away from completion. The new three-bay facility will double the capacity of the former station to meet projected growth within the community. Its bold forms and contrasting colours provide a striking identity to the building, emphasizing its presence on the street. The LEED project is the collaboration of the Ottawa Fire Services, Morley Hoppner and Hobin Architecture.

Project Team: Doug Brooks, Hugo Latreille, Rheal Labelle, Noor Alqaaod, Maddy Byrtus, Nikolina Braovac.

Riverside South Town Centre – Immediately north of the Limebank O-Train Station is the future community core and main street area for Riverside South. The development – a partnership between Urbandale and Richcraft – will transform the greenfield site into a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented urban core, combining intensified housing, commercial and recreational amenities adjacent to the new transit hub. Our demonstration package was developed to establish a vision for the site and demonstrate compliance with the intent of the municipal Community Design Plan and general planning guidelines.

Project Team: Barry Hobin, Rheal Labelle, Hugo Latreille.

Hollyer House is nearing completion in Bells Corners. The building provides 35 units of affordable housing to a number of priority groups including women and children, refugees, and seniors. At ground floor is a community service hub, providing food and other services to both residents and the greater community. A collaboration between Christ Church Bells Corners, CAHDCO, Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre, FAMSAC, The Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and Cornerstone Housing for Women.

Project Team: Gord Lorimer, Doug Brooks, Alison Legere.

2026 Scott Street will introduce over 800 apartments in a variety of typologies, mere footsteps from the forthcoming Westboro LRT station. The pair of 40-storey buildings will embrace affordability, sustainability and accessibility as its main drivers, while encouraging interaction at the ground level. We look forward to bringing this exciting project to reality. A Morley Hoppner and Colonnade BridgePort development.

Project Team: Patrick Bisson, Laura Clark, Sean O’Rourke, Stuart Thomson, Fabiano Medeiros.

36 Robinson by TCU – Now complete, this project was a finalist in three categories at this year’s GOHBA awards. Clad in striking red brick and black glass, the Sandy Hill apartment building provides 153 rental apartments in studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom configurations.

Project Team: Doug Brooks, Karen Griffith, Hugo Latreille, Kurt Draper, Shawn Leduc.

686 Echo Drive – Nestled between Echo Drive and Riverdale Avenue in Old Ottawa South is this modern custom home overlooking the Rideau Canal. Dramatic views are celebrated with oversized windows and outdoor terraces at three floors. Finished inside and out are a balance between neutral tones and warm, natural materials, and The owners took occupancy earlier this year.

Project Team: Barry Hobin, Todd Duckworth, Wayne Fralic, Jennifer Adams.

131 Winding Way – Design of this custom home overlooking the Rideau River began in 2011, and is now just a few months from completion. The home features an L-shaped floor plan which is designed to maximize river views while enveloping a landscaped pool patio. Construction has advanced quickly thanks to a pre-fabricated wall framing system.

Project Team: Barry Hobin, Rheal Labelle, Wayne Fralic.

70 Richmond Road is a 9-storey condominium on the site of the Heritage-designated Champlain Oil Service Station, a circa-1934 Westboro landmark. The heritage building will be adapted for reuse as a retail unit, and is envisioned as a café or restaurant. The project has achieved Site Plan Approval is moving toward construction in the coming months. A Trinity Developments project.

Project Team: Rheal Labelle, Doug Brooks, Ammar Jaratly, Cristina Hoang, Stuart Thomson.

Stone Abbey in Old Ottawa South will offer 18 luxury condominium apartments and future freehold townhouses on the site of Southminster United Church. Now well into construction, the building’s terraced form can be seen from both sides of the Canal, an elegant and contextual response to a delicate site and neighbourhood. By Windmill Developments.

Project Team: Barry Hobin, Rheal Labelle, Kent Bugatsch, Alison Legere, Ammar Jaratly, Noor Alqaaod.

5 Fifth Avenue is a three-story custom home in the Glebe featuring crisp modernist design and accent lighting integrated throughout the exterior and interior. Materials include linear masonry, glass, aluminum and a prominent second floor balcony clad in copper panels which will patina with age. The owners are happy to be moving in before Christmas.

Project Team: Todd Duckworth, Sean Carty, Jennifer Adams.

335 Roosevelt Avenue – Uniform’s Westboro development received an Official Plan Amendment to proceed as two 12-storey blocks. A stepped form and separation between the buildings enable a public connection through the site to the Scott Street MUP and transit network. Just one block from Kìchì Sìbì O-Train station, now under construction, the site is an ideal candidate for transit-oriented development.

Project Team: Barry Hobin, Rheal Labelle, Doug Van Den Ham, Jamison Duff.

Deschâtelets Monastery at Greystone Village – Remediation of the 138-year old building is underway in preparation for it to be transformed into an elementary school, community centre, daycare and seniors’ housing. Envisioned as the collaboration between Conseil des Écoles Catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE), Ottawa Community Housing and the City of Ottawa, the project will form the centrepiece of Greystone Village when complete.

Project Team: Doug Van Den Ham, Jennifer Heaney.

The Spencer at Greystone Village by eQ Homes has made strides toward completion next year. The building will offer upscale condo living in the heart of the new community. With spectacular views to the Rideau River and downtown, the suites range from 316 sq.ft. “smart suites” to 2 bedroom + den suites and penthouses at over 1,400 sq.ft.

Project Team: Marc Thivierge, Jeff Chaput, Dan Boulanger.

Brighton Retirement Living with Mistral Land Developments, is a three-story retirement home with 124 suites in both Independent and Assisted Living options. Located 90 minutes from Toronto and just 5 minutes from the Lake Ontario waterfront, the project combines convenience with natural amenities in a supportive, home-like environment. Residents will move in this winter.

Project Team: Wendy Brawley, Reinhard Vogel, Melanie Lamontagne, Benoit Maranda, Madelyn Byrtus.

Ottawa Retirement Residence by Signature is in its final months of construction in downtown Ottawa. Overlooking the Garden of the Provinces and Territories and the Ottawa River beyond, the building will house 152 apartments with a range of supportive living options.

Project Team: Wendy Brawley, Rheal Labelle, Melanie Lamontagne, Shona Dunderdale, Dan Henhoeffer, Daniel Boulanger, Fabiano Medeiros.

Christmas Giving

Our team is putting together gifts for Cornerstone Housing for Women and The Salvation Army Booth Centre to help them through the year’s coldest months. New clothing and outerwear items, bedding and footwear are among the items needed. If you would like to support these organizations with their supply needs or to simply make a donation, please visit their website at:

Click to Support Cornerstone Housing for Women
Click to Support The Salvation Army Booth Centre

Christmas Card Contest Winner

Congratulations to this year’s Hobin Christmas Card Contest winner, Ryan Fleming!

The post 2023 Year in Review 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.

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