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

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. 

TRENDS IN DESIGN - PART 2

Urban Capital's Trends in Design series is back in Ottawa with three new design presentations to inspire and share ideas with the city, starting this week. The topics sound really interesting.

Night 6 | SEP 13 2012

Designing Modern Furniture 

Gus* is a really neat modern furniture design company with a lot of beautiful pieces. Furniture designer David Podsiadlo will be talking about the process and challenges of designing, manufacturing and selling modern furniture. 

Night 7 | OCT 11 2012

Graphic Design is Our Access to the New World

The Ontario College of Art and Design University has a very unique architecture that has most definitely become a landmark in Toronto. Roderick Grant who's a professor, designer and co-chair of the Graphic Design Program, will be talking about the relationships between graphic design and the world we live in. 

Night 8 | NOV 8 2012

Landscape Design without Grass 

If you've been to Montreal, you're probably familiar with Claude Cormier's awesome projects like the Pink Balls or the lipstick forest in Montreal. I noticed his work in Montreal before but never knew who designed them. Now I know! He's got a lot of very interesting projects in various cities around the world and one in Gatineau. I can think of a lot of places where his work would greatly enhance the city of Ottawa... starting with Sparks Street :) That should be fun. 

Check out my previous posts about last year's presentations on the links below. 

NIGHT 1 | Fashion Trends 

NIGHT 2 | New Thinking in Designing Cities 
NIGHT 3 | Where Industrial Design is Taking Us 
NIGHT 4 | Architecture in Our New Century 
NIGHT 5 | Interior Design Thinks Small

Tickets are available via Urban Capital's website at $20 per night or $40 for all three evenings. All the proceeds will go to Migrating Landscapes, Canada's official entry for the 2012 Venice Biennale in Architecture. 

source : Urban Capital' | Gus* | Emily Care Recuit | Claude Cormier | Cityzen | Design Boom

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 | 

MINTO PARK'S IMAGINARY MAKEOVER

A little over three years ago, the city had plans to improve street furniture with their Integrated Street Furniture Program. I'm not quite sure what happened to that, but I'm assuming these are the types of projects that die in this city with the change of governing bodies. It's unfortunate. Perhaps, it would be better if these types of projects were handled by the councillors of each ward.

I often dream of redesigning various public spaces around town, and the Minto Park in Centertown is one of them. It's a relatively small park nestled between Elgin St and Cartier St. It's in an area near houses and a main street that's relatively busy. I often see people walking their dogs when I'm in the area. There are picnic tables and benches, but the outdoor furniture is quite dated and tired. It could benefit from a little makeover in my opinion.

There are three focal points, consisting of (1) a memorial for women victims of domestic abuse,  (2) a large planter surrounded by grass, and (3) the bust of an Argentinean general. It's a weird combination. They are completely unrelated to one another.


The bust was apparently chosen because it was available in the city's collection. The memorial on the other hand,  was erected after a series of particularly brutal murders of women in Ottawa in 1991. Also, a memorial service is held each year in honor of these women. It would therefore be more meaningful to make it the focal point of the park and eliminate the sculptures that take away from it. This would make for a more coherent design.

If it was up to me, I would move the memorial at the center, add flowers (maybe white tulips) and remove the bust. To complete the design, I would install two modern sculptures like the ones from Antony Gormley. I think the ones named Shrive (on the left) and Gut 1 (on the right), are particularly fitting. They would be facing the memorial.

Then, I would soften the natural color palette of the park by planting lots of cherry blossom and magnolia trees. This would create a breathtaking view for the surrounding residents and visitors, almost like and enchanting forest.  Since pink is a very feminine color, it would tie in well with the memorial. I imagine it would become a great spot for beautiful pictures too!

After that, I would update all the chairs and trash bins which look too severe and dated. Replacing them with lighter and curvier furniture to give it a more feminine look in keeping with the theme. The brown picnic tables, chairs and trash bins would be replaced by bright pink steel tables, benches and light trash bins. 

Finally I would replace the old light posts with these eco-friendly solar lights called Invisible Street.   They seamlessly blend with the natural surroundings. I would make sure there would be enough light so that the park would feel safe at night as well. 

Source : Google Streetview | Wikipedia |Antony Gormley | zebriana | Lucybear | House and Homes | Jessica MP | vilagrasa | casamania | Hong Joo's Design Story |

A CHAIR NAMED OTTAWA

Neat little fact: Karim Rashid, who attended Carleton University, recently designed a collection of furniture and accessories for Bo Concept named after Ottawa. (Perhaps a nod to his past?). I just hope there's a lot more like him coming out of Carleton University. 

Source : Karim Rashid | Trendland | Contemporist |

THE NEW LANSDOWNE : PROBLEM SOLVING - PART 2

Let's take a look at the Aberdeen Square, which is located right beside the Aberdeen Pavilion. The design brief describes it as "a formal, paved plaza graced by the full north facade of the Aberdeen Pavilion. Its larger, contiguous space accommodates opportunities throughout the year, including the Farmers’ Market". 

What do you think of this location for the Farmers Market? I don't like it at all. There's nothing innovative or original about it at all. In fact, next to a newly built area, this will look cheap.  It's just a bunch of tents on a parking lot.

There's also an issue with the placement of the fountain. Unfortunately vendors typically tend to throw dirty water on the street in the Byward Market. I doubt it will be different in Lansdowne. What will most likely end up happening is that the fountain will get dirty or clogged. Then it won't be functional anymore and it will end up as a pit with random garbage in it. In the summer, you'll get a sea of random tents taking over the lot and in the winter it will be empty. 

There is a better solution. Why not build a permanent open air structure like the Convington Farmers Market in Virginia. It was designed and built by students and two teachers from the Virginia Tech School of Architecture + Design. Their budget was only $150,000.00 and they made it happen. The project was awarded a 2011 Design Excellence Award from the Virginia Society AIA. How awesome is this!

References : Dezeen | City of Ottawa | Flickr | Local Tourist Ottawa