I spotted an interesting modern home in the Glebe not too long ago. It is a nice contrast to the typical mini farmhouses that seem to be so popular in Ottawa. This one stands tall with a unique angled roof and seems to have more balance proportions. The landscape in the front seem to be maintenance free, while still having personality.
What makes this house modern to me is its simplicity and the attention to detail in its design. Throughout the height of the building, the width of windows on the left are the same and perfectly aligned. The width of the windows on the right are also the same and perfectly aligned with the main door as well. This is much better than some buildings I've seen with windows of various sizes, placed at various heights on the same floor like this one (I don't get it).
Color is another interesting aspect in this building: yellow and red. Whoever decided on the colors of the facade was not afraid of colors. Having the red band on the building makes an interesting statement. It attracts the eye and acts as a focal point. It also breaks the monochromatic aspect of the building. Notice also the lamps along the wall carefully placed on either side of the red band. This must create an interesting look at night.
The angled roof is also atypical and changes the shape of the building so it doesn't look like a box. I love the metal sheet on the side but I don't get the tall skinny window at the bottom of it. It seems to be an after thought. Assuming this window is in the same room than the window adjacent to it, I would have eliminated that window altogether. Nevertheless, this building is a nice surprise on the street and definitely gets noticed.
1.9.09 I just found out that this house was designed by Dreesen Architect. The building is "an adaptive reuse of portions of a former house in poor condition to create a three story single family home with three bedrooms, home office, open room/entertainment space and finished basement. Design stands in neighborhood as stunning example of the possibilities of mass-produced off the shelf industrial type material in residential application".
I recently discovered the OpenOttawa blog from Chris who created a site to help make Ottawa a better city.
The idea behind OpenOttawa.org is that there’s lots of ways for people to help out in [their] community doing things like Spring Cleaning the Capital, or planting trees, but there’s no easy way for the code monkeys to give back. The goal of OpenOttawa.org is to fill this void by providing web applications and online services to the betterment of the citizens of Ottawa. Much like the inspiration for OpenOttawa.org, the UK’s mySociety.org, OpenOttawa.org has two missions. The first is to be a volunteer project which builds websites that gives people simple, tangible benefits in the civic and community aspects of their lives. The second is to teach the public and voluntary sectors, through demonstration, how to most efficiently use the internet to improve lives.
Ottawa is now part of FixMyStreet where anyone can report problems that need fixing around the city and check out what's been fixed. There's a pretty neat map that shows where something needs to be fixed. Right now graffiti are the most popular problem. I'm definitely going to add to it and probably post my findings on MOOT as well. There's also another interesting site listing data-sets people would like to see the City provide. You can sign up and vote for certain data to be available to the public such as "Politician: Voting records","Road/Street closings/conditions","Realtime pollution data" or adding some of your own. I think this is a really great initiative. The best way to make positive changes is to actually doing something. Make sure you contribute to making your city a better place.
I was reading a blog post from West Side Action on whether or not implementing double-tracking bike and pedestrian paths in Ottawa was a good idea. My first thought: "I don't think so". Based on the example shown from Toronto it seems to me like it's a big waste of money. Besides, it's too controlled. There's a path for people jogging, another one for people biking and another one for people walking. What if you're jogging with a dog and a baby in a stroller? What if you are much faster on your bike then the cyclists in front of you? I don't think people are going to stick to the assigned path. And for that extra money, the paths shown don't even look that nice. I bet it's harder and more expensive to maintain three separate paths as opposed to one.
In any case, this made me think of the sidewalks we saw in Ibiza. I like their approach: share a very wide and very nice sidewalk. You can bike, jog, walk, or run freely and there's enough space for everyone and people can navigate on their own. And look at the pattern on the side walk! Isn't it better? I think that's where the city should spend the extra money! Make it functional and make it look nice.
The Ottawa Humane Society (OHS) is currently raising money to build a new and improved facility to better serve the community as their current shelter, built in 1968, can no longer do the job. According to the site, the shelter was designed to accommodate 2,500 animals per year but currently accommodates over 11,000 animals each year. (Now that's overcrowded!) They have obtained about 75% of the $9,500,000 needed to built the new facility. So they need a bit more to make this happen in 2010.
I remember hearing in the news this past winter that the shelter had some major issues with their heating system. Though I've yet to visit the shelter, I've passed by and from the looks of it, it really needs a serious update. The OHS also created a website dedicated to this project called breaking ground where they list the top 10 reasons why they need a new shelter and their vision of the new shelter.
It looks like OHS is going green and modern for this project. Which is great news! They are looking into passive solar heating, water management, energy efficiency, LEED certification and accessibility. The selected architectural firm for the job is Barry Hobin and Associates. The preliminary renderings looks nice too.
photo : OHS
Apparently OHS has taken pointers from the Winnipeg Humane Society which has a really nice looking building too, as shown below. I love the silhouette along the wall and the numerous windows for loads of natural light.
The new OHS facility looks like a really interesting project. I would have loved to take part in this. Of course, if it was up to me, I would also add some innovative ideas that would enable OHS to make even more money such as an affiliate dog and cat hotel, a pet spa, a pet furniture and accessories store, a coffee shop (kind of like the cat and dog cafes in Japan,) pet art gallery, pet training classes. Sky's the limit! Here are some more inspiring pet spaces.
Another feast for the eyes! The best pet hotel I've seen so far. I like the ideas of the common spaces for pets to interact with each other. And the spa looks like it will not only be relaxing for the dogs but for the handlers as well, which can only help.
You too can help OHS by donating here or by coming up with something original, such as Rap for Charity by LifeAccording2Chris. I believe it's part of a DVD that recently raised over 500$ for OHS :)
Although I prefer ultra modern architecture, I do have an appreciation for historical buildings. I particularly like the ones that have been beautifully and intelligently modernized, keeping some key design elements of the structure that give the building its unique personality. A good example of that would be the CheBanca, an Italian bank in Milan designed by Crea International. As you can see below, although the interior is very modern, the exterior was kept intact. There's a harmonious marriage between the old and the new.
Back in Ottawa, I was shocked when I discovered the following "update" on Queen. It looks like a large concrete wall was poured right in front of two buildings, leaving a few wholes for some small doors. Next to the "GOODLife fitness" sign, you can still see the left over from the previous signage. Talk about laziness and lack of care and consideration for the architecture! I wonder what possessed the decision maker in this project to do such a thing. It looks like a bunker! It's definitely one of the ugliest jobs I've seen so far on a building.
It's too bad really. The building on the left has great large windows with such great potential. Those buildings could have been so much more: residential lofts, offices lofts, boutique for a local fashion designer... What a shame.
Ever been to Pure Gelato on Elgin Street? It's a pretty neat modern little spot that was introduced to us by one of my friends when we moved in Ottawa. You can't miss it. The store front is bright yellow and the inside is just as bright and colorful : very appropriate for an ice cream shop. I love the decor and the repetition of circles throughout the space. It's nice and simple. Whenever we go there at night, this place is packed. They have a very large selection of ice cream and so far the ones that I tried are very good.
photos : Modern Ottawa
My latest combo : Chocolate Masala & Rasberry :) What's your favorite ?
I discovered this beautiful modern building in the Glebe neighborhood and I just had to share it with other modern architecture lovers! After doing a little bit of research, I found out that the building is part commercial and part residential. The store is called Oresta. It's an organic skin care confectionery offering natural beauty and personal care products, as well as chemical-free and earth-friendly treatments. Oresta Korbutiak is the owner of the store and also lives in this building with her family.
It wasn't very impressive and looked tired. But now, it's definitely an eye catcher and the art engraved on the concrete and above the main window, give it personality. I love the contrast of the wood and the concrete.
photo : Modern Ottawa
photo : Modern Ottawa
What's really neat too is the art that's been carved in the concrete. The art was created by Christopher Griffin, Oresta's husband, who's an artist. It took him about four months to do. According to his site, he's inspired by ancient artwork on cave walls, children’s art and random markings on concrete sidewalks, roads and buildings. He also often [uses] bird, fish and animal motifs in [his] work because they represent the pure, the innocent and the spiritual.
photo : Modern Ottawa
photo : Modern Ottawa
The main entrance of the residential area is also stunning with the ceiling made out of wood and the cave like carving on the wall, the little planter and bench which make it very inviting.
photo : Modern Ottawa
I absolutely love the fence and the balcony on the side of the building and the large beluga carving. There a very nice attention to details in this building and around it. Look at the walkway leading to the yard with the sunshine carving on the concrete sidewalk and the little stone wall. Beautiful!
I received an email from Ivan who tells me that the architect for this beautiful project is Andrew Reeves of LineBox. I checked out their site and they have a very nice portfolio. Thanks Ivan!
