MEANWHILE IN PARIS...

After the UK, France recently started to install holograms to boost customer service in their Oslo airport. Talk about innovative! Sadly, I doubt this will happen anytime soon in Ottawa's airport. Still it's fun to see what other countries are up to, and perhaps also sad to see how for behind we really are...

MEANWHILE IN SWEDEN...

Unfortunately, it looks like the impromptu swing didn't even last 24 hours before the fun police got rid of it. Meanwhile in Örebro (Sweden), a Big Yellow Rabbit created by artist Florentijn Hofman has been temporarily "thrown" in a public space since June and will remain there until September for the 3rd OpenART exhibition


This temporary exhibit is a summer-long event, involving over 50 artists from around the world showcasing their work in unconventional locations of the city for visitors and locals alike to experience art. Doesn't that sound like fun? The event is run for the Municipality of Örebro by the art gallery Örebro Konsthall with the help of other groups and local businesses.



The art exhibits are scattered throughout the city and there's something for everyone : movies, paintings, sculptures, toys, etc. Below are some examples of what is being presented (the giant rabbit is my favorite). You can see the full list of participating artists as well as their art on the OpenArt website here.

The Shadow Of The Monument by Radoslaw Gryta (Finland)


Page by Natalie Sutinen (Sweden)


Mirror by Mats Åberg (Sweden)


The airplane by Göran Hägg(Sweden)


Paint Your City by Mark Jenkins (USA)

This reminds me of a friend who once referred to Ottawa as "the city that fun forgot". In fact if you Google "the city that fun forgot", the first few links that come up are about Ottawa. How sad. This needs to change. Ottawa deserves better, don't you think?

Photos : OpenART

A BIT OF FUN IN THE CITY

This picture was taken by Reddit Ottawa member don_pace who happened to notice a swing attached to a bus shelter on the corner of Slater and Kent earlier today. I just love this! It makes me smile. It's a simple way to inject a bit of fun in the city and I feel it perfectly matches the personality of Ottawans. There's even a the cute little stick figure sign above.

We need more of these is the city, don't you think?

A TOUCH OF COLOR - UPDATE

A couple months ago I posted an article about a particular building on Bank street that could use a touch of color. It was great to get positive feedback from you and see that some even wanted to get involved (See comments on MOOT's Facebook page here).


Imagine my surprise, when I recently passed by the place and noticed that it had been painted. Maybe it's a coincidence but it seems like the owner or tenant got the message and it looks much better. There's just a couple little things to fix to complete the new look and I really hope whoever is responsible keeps at it to make it a successful makeover. So if you're reading this (or someone who know that person does), please consider the three following suggestions:

1. Add some color

Now that the triangular panels of top portion are painted in the new charcoal grey, I doubt it will change to implement the initially suggested rainbow effect. Still this building needs a bit of color. The panels above the windows are a great alternative. They currently look beige and would look a lot better with some color. (Notice the left most panel is charcoal for continuity).


2. Finish the bottom portion

To really separate this renovated building from the old ones next to it and complete the new look, the bottom part should also be renovated, either by painting it or replacing the tiles so that it matches the new charcoal paint. The metal trim will look great against it too.

3. PLEASE modernize the signage

The big light boxes are old and bulky and take away from the architectural features of the building. Raised letter with LED light behind them would be ideal. Something like the signage in the photos below taken from my last trip in Las Vegas (shown below).

It's also a great opportunity for Knit Knackers and Biogenie to redo their logos as well so that they better represent what they are offering. I pass in front of that building on a regular basis and I had no idea Knit-Knackers was "Ottawa’s largest yarn and knitting store". There's nothing about the logo that indicate that.

Look how cute the logo from Ravelry (it's like facebook for knitters) is. Something along these lines would be fun and probably better portray the company. Maybe a sheep, a yarn and cat next to the company's name? How about the name knitted with a cute alpaca on the side?



photo : ravelry | MOOT

CENTRAL CONDOMINIUM : HRV

Central 1 is registered with the Canadian Green Building Council as a LEED Silver building. As such, a LEED consultant also works on this project, meeting the trades on a regular basis to check the progress of the building. One of the main LEED features is the presence of a Heat Recovery Ventilator (also known as an HRV or Air Exchanger) in each unit. The HRVs, which will be hidden in the ceiling, contribute to making the building eco-friendly, by reducing energy consumption.

Having access to fresh air is very important in a home, but in Ottawa, fresh air is rather cold most of year. Opening the windows in the winter to let fresh air in and stale air out, also means that the space inside will get cold and will have to be heated again, which wastes energy. Enter the HRV which is essentially a box that "recycles heat" so that you can get fresh air without having to reheat it too much.



Here's how it works: In the winter, we know that the fresh air outside is cold and the stale air inside is warm. By having both streams of air passing through the HRV, the heat from the stale air leaving the unit is transferred to the cold fresh air entering the unit. The two air streams don't get in direct contact with each other but there is a transfer of heat that occurs. The heat from the exiting stale air is transferred to the entering fresh air. As a result, the heating system doesn't have to work as hard to heat keep the indoor temperature at a comfortable level and the occupants pay less in energy bills.

There are a lot more eco-friendly features in this project. Stay tuned for more.

NCC ASKS: WHAT DO YOU WANT IN OTTAWA?

It looks like the NCC also wants to know what do you want in your neighborhood with their new project : Horizon 2067. The two most important steps in making positive changes is to voice them and then to take action. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

I have a growing list here, and my first order of business would be to redesign Sparks Street (ex1, ex2). How about you?

Don't forget to share your opinion below and on Facebook.

MINTO PLACE'S LIVING WALL

A couple weeks ago I discovered a really nice living wall inside the Minto Place downtown. It looks like a natural pieces of abstract art measuring 18 ft by 40 ft with over 6,000 plants. There's a little plaque at the bottom stating that this wall can support oxygen for 15-20 humans per day. Pretty neat isn't it?

Based on a previous post on Urbsite, it looks like this wall was installed a little over a year ago. It's a great feature and the air definitely feels nicer inside compared to other buildings.

According to Green Over Grey, green wall specialists, there are a lot of benefits in having a green wall in a public space like this, including better indoor air quality, reduced noise pollution, higher property value, reduced stress and increase in well being. It definitely feels good to be in this place. There are also live plants and flowers along the walls and around the eating area. Aren't they beautiful? I also like how clean the place was when I was there. A+ to the building managers and maintenance staff!

The skylight is also a great addition and allows natural light in the building which is another great plus, specially in the winter. If you're around and have a bit of time, I suggest you go check it out. Let me know what you think. We can never have too many green walls in the city! I hope others building developers and owners will do the same in the near future.

Do you know of any other places in town with great looking living walls? If so, let me know by commenting below and on MOOT's facebook page.