sneak peek inside the modbox

Here's a sneak peak of a standard Mechanicsville Lofts unit. You really get a good idea of the loft feel and how nice and open it will be. I really like the heated concrete floor. It's such a great feature. This is a great opportunity to increase the amount of beautiful modern interior design in the city. Definitely something I'd love the get my hands on :)

Photos : Linebox Studio

new modbox homes in Ottawa

ModBox is a boutique property development company focusing on building modern residences in select Ottawa neighbourhoods. The brainchild of modern architectural firm Linebox Studio and builder The Lake Partnership, this joint venture is currently working on a new loft-style condos in Mechanicsville called Mechanicsville Lofts.

This building project is their response to the lack of hard lofts in the city of Ottawa. Though their project is not an actual loft conversion from an existing industrial building, it said to include "five main features that define a true hard loft; high ceilings, open spaces, exposed building materials, large windows and an urban location" with the added benefit of comfort and energy efficiency. 

This will definitely upgrade the current look of this area which, in my opinion, looks old and not very  practical for modern living. You can see from the screen captures from Google Street-view what will surround the new building.  

I'm not a big fan of the little houses like the one on the right of the new building below. Let's hope this  new project will encourage more updates in that area. 

Looking through the specifications and floor plans currently available online, there are definitely some key features that give this building a true loft feel : 11 foot ceilings, 1200 square foot open spaces, polished concrete floors with radiant heat, exposed timber columns and beams, floor to ceiling windows, a small scale building (only four floors and 6 units) and a private elevator accessing each unit directly. This is pretty much as close as you can get to a modern hard loft in Ottawa right now.

The ground floor features a large open space that includes a garbage/recycling area, a mail room and two lobbies (one in the front and one in the back), as well as a ground floor unit. I assume the stone gardens will be spectacular, based on Linebox studio's previous work. 

It's unfortunate that the back of the building is used for five cars when there are six units. I personally would have opted for common enclosed backyard and an underground parking instead. That way, each unit would have a parking spot and there would also be space for extra storage (bikes, winter tires and other seasonal items), and visitor parking.

Although, some consider Mechanicsville to be an "urban area" in Ottawa, it's not quite there yet. Residents will greatly benefit from a car to do their grocery shopping and to got out to pubs, movies, restaurants, etc., especially in the winter. The building is mostly be surrounded by houses, a church and a park. 

The proposed layouts on the floor plans look nice. My favorite is the penthouse (of course!), with the extra private deck and green roof. 

The residents will also have access to a common rooftop terrace, perfect for parties and gatherings. 

All in all, it's a great upgrade for the area. 

Source : ModBox

CANVAS : WHERE ART MEETS ARCHITECTURE

Surface Development recently joined forces with artist Christopher Griffin to create two unique semi detached homes facing the Rideau River in Old Ottawa South. Griffin is known for his "concrete painting" where he carves patterns into concrete stuccos, as shown previously on MoOt. This time he performed a live art installation using his technique on the building project. 

Griffin (shown in the video below) got his inspiration from the river and natural surroundings. After finding out that the river is home to a walleye fishery in Ottawa, he decided to integrate them into his concrete painting. It's a great way to visually connect the building to the nature surrounding it and definitely makes the building a lot more interesting and unique. Perhaps this could become a signature design feature unique to Ottawa. How fun would that be. 

Jakub Ulak, who designed this project, took his collaboration with the artist a step further by commissioning paintings from Griffin so that each homeowner gets an original piece of art from the artist who inspired the project CANVAS. Also, a copy of the art will be enamel printed on movable glass panels that will be used as privacy screens on the second floor balconies. At the same time they will act as outdoor artwork, giving the effect of  being in an outdoor art gallery to the people walking by outside. 

The floor plans look very promising. Each home has essentially 5 stories of living spaces, including the basement and the rooftop living space equipped with an outdoor kitchen. The homes are currently under construction and should be ready soon. Check out the video tour below presented by the founder for a sneak peak of the interiors under construction. Hopefully there will be an open house. It would be fun to see the finished product. 

source : Surface Development | Christopher Griffin

MORE LAMBS ARE COMING TO TOWN

Looks like Brad Lamb, a well known real estate broker and developer based in Toronto, will be contributing to the much needed modernization of Ottawa. Now that Gotham is under construction, the newest modern addition to the city's collection of Lamb buildings is Soba. 

The old commercial building currently at the future location of Soba wasn't horrible looking and certainly could have become an interesting 3-story residential loft, but it wasn't spectacular either. 

Instead, we'll be welcoming a unique 23-story building designed by Core Architects and II BY IV. The new building is a complete change and will definitely stand out. I really like the fact the shape of the building is a little more complex than a simple box and that they will be using black bricks. 

The interior looks promising as well and definitely reminds me of modern boutique hotels with unique textures and finishes, blurring the line between building components and pieces of art, as you can see in the images of the lobby, the common room and elevator area below.

On the 6th floor, you'll find the Sky Garden Club featuring an outdoor pool and cabanas. It reminds me a bit of day club hotel pools I've seen at boutique hotels in Las Vegas.  

Architecturally, Soba definitely is a great addition to the neighborhood and hopefully it will encourage more people in the industry and the city to  update and beautify the area. 

KARIOUK'S INNOVATIVE CONDO REDESIGN IN OTTAWA

Two years ago, I wrote an article for the Ottawa Citizen called It's a Dog's Life where I described Paul Kariouk's ingenious dog friendly entrance design. At the time he was planning to move into a new unit in the Mondrian, with plans to design a second dog shower and have a bronze tile with his late dog's paw print set into the floor in his bedroom. I recently came across photos of the architect's condo remodel, and it is amazing. He completely transformed the initial basic floor plan to better suit their needs and make the space feel much larger. 

Above is what the original plan looked like. The many walls made the space very choppy and the options to arrange furniture were very limited.

In the updated floor plan, the architect managed to maximize the amount of natural light and significantly increase the amount of storage and living space.

Superimposing the two plans, you can see how he increased the amount of living space and  considerably reduced the amount of wasted space, especially when it comes to the bathroom. 

Looking towards the kitchen, you get a better sense of the amount of storage that is now available in the unit. The entire back wall is storage, hiding a micro office on the left, kitchen supplies in the centre and a small european style washroom on the right. In the front, under the counter, there's a hidden mini bar and television.

The shower enclosure with an extra sink also serves as a piece of art right in the middle of the space. I imagine that is also the new doggy shower (Nice upgrade).

For those who are not too keen on standing naked in a semi-transparent glass enclosure in the middle of a room, a drapery system was installed for more privacy. A more minimalist alternative would have been to use electric glass walls instead. But it's probably quite a bit more expensive as well.


I like the way he was able to conceal the concrete columns by adding more sculptural interest and storage in the space. 

You can see in the top right photo, the bronze tile with Hannibal's paw print next to the bed as planned. The architect's new big dog is shown above next to a sleek doggy water fountain. Kariouk definitely designs with his dog's in mind, which is most likely one of the reason why the entire floor is tiled. I'm definitely taking notes for when I get to adopt my own dog.

Check out the video below for a  tour of his 850 sq. ft unit. You can also find out more about the ideas behind his concept here 

Redeveloper Apartment from Chris Davis on Vimeo.

Source : Contemporist | PdK Kariouk Associates | 

OTTAWA INFILL HOME COMPLETE DOCUMENTARY

A couple months ago I posted a sneak peak of Travis Boisvenue's video on infill homes in Ottawa. Here's the complete video, where you can see three variations in the city. What do you think?

THE NEW LANSDOWNE : PROBLEM SOLVING - PART 3

 When it comes to the current plans of the Aberdeen Pavilion in the New Lansdowne, the design documents state that it will be a "major visual and programmatic amenity that will enhance the imageability of the entire redevelopment site" and the plan is also to keep it as a "multi-purpose, all-season, public exhibit hall and meeting space". Based on this, I see two main problems that should to be addressed in order for the designers to achieve their goal :

1. There's not enough visual focus on the Aberdeen Pavillion 
2. The Aberdeen Pavillion has no clearly defined function or identity

Making the Aberdeen Pavilion the focal point

One of the most identifiable buildings in Lansdowne Park is the Aberdeen Pavilion. It's the first image that comes to mind when you think of the area, so much so that it's now part of the New Lansdowne logo. Therefore it's only natural to want to preserve the view of the building from Bank Street. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case.  

If you take a closer look at the latest elevations, the new buildings have been positioned in such a way that a good portion of the Aberdeen building will be hidden and lost behind. Why not give the building a little more breathing space by widening the road and keeping the area symmetrical? It shouldn't be too hard to do and would make a big difference. Attention to details like this improves the quality of  the design.

Also, notice how little space there is for cars and much space they are taking at the same time. There's one parking lane and one traffic lane on each side. Considering the number of retail stores that are expected to be there, it would most likely always look like this and take away from the design of the space. A better solution would be to move the Aberdeen Way underground and create an underpass to keep the area in front of the building for pedestrians, terraces and bikes. There would be an opportunity to widen the sidewalk as well and keep them equal on both side of the building.

The Aberdeen Market : Giving the Pavilion a Clear Purpose 

In order for the Aberdeen Pavilion to take centre stage, it needs an identity, a clear purpose for being there. Otherwise it won't be much different that what it already is : a large under-appreciated open space, most likely to be hidden behind old burgundy chairs and flimsy black curtains.

The Arberdeen Pavilion has great architectural features. It'a a large clear span steel frame with pressed metal exterior cladding. The interior space has a great tall ceiling and lots of windows letting in a great amount of natural light. This space would be perfect for a permanent market.

So what we need there is not only a permanent farmer's market, but a culinary destination, much like the San Miguel Market in Madrid, Spain. A place where you can not only buy fresh local food, but you can also eat freshly prepared dishes, try local wine and beers too. It should be a place where locals and tourists can gather and experience food and enjoy life.

Check out the video below of the San Miguel Market to give you a better idea.

The Aberdeen Market could also be a place where chefs from around the world come and compete to create dishes based on local ingredients. Imagine the good this would do for the city. Twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, we bring top chefs from around the world to compete and prepare creative dishes based on local food. we could create two annual festivals around this. I think such a function would be a lot more successful that a simple multi-purpose building. 

Souce : Wikipedia | Niagara Cooks | Ciao Chow (flickr) | Home and Design Show (flickr) | Mercado De San Miguel | Madrid.com |