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 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 | 

DOWNGRADING THE OTTAWA INFO CENTRE

Last year, instead of figuring out a way to fund some much needed renovations for the only info centre in Ottawa, the NCC decided to close its doors and relocate it inside the World Exchange Plaza. So now instead of crossing the street from the Parliament (Ottawa's main international landmark) to find out more about what the city has to offer, tourists will have to find an old 1970's style booth, tucked away in a low traffic business mall. 

 

This is now the first impression Ottawa is giving its tourists: 

Welcome-to-our-old-uninspiring-city-there's-not-much-to-see-or-do-and-our-idea-of-cutting-edge-technology-is-a-desktop. 

Instead of an fun and engaging 3-D circular map, you get pamphlets and one computer. 

Yes, the previous info centre needed some serious renovations, but still it was a lot better. The 3-D map, was a great concept and the location could not have been more perfect. According to the NCC the renovations in Ottawa would have cost $5,000,000 and that was too much for them. (I'm curious : How much did the Horizon 2067 Campaign cost so far?). What exactly were they planning to do with  $5 million? Why didn't they reduce their renovation budget? Why couldn't they renovate it in phases? 

NYC did it for about 1/3 of the NCC's budget!

Meanwhile in New York city, the leaders city didn't back away from a renovation and had the common sense to hire professionals to redesign and renovate their information centre. This info centre in NYC only cost $1,800,000. I doubt the NCC was planning something as avant-garde as this for $5,000,000. How come a similar renovation would cost almost 3 times more in Ottawa?  

 

This is the first impression New York is giving its tourists: 

Welcome-to-a-fun-and-attractive-vibrant-city-with-lots-to-do-and-discover-at-the-cutting-edge-of-technology. 

The design firm, WXY Studio, did an excellent job. You can find out more about their concept here.

 

I really don't understand why it's so difficult for the NCC to fulfill its main goal, which is "to ensure that Canada’s Capital Region is a source of national pride and significance." Is that what the NCC is really doing? It seems like they're working in the opposite direction of their own goals. I don't understand why this is accepted. I really wish there were more people that cared a little more about this city to actively contribute to its growth and evolution and let it live up to its potential. And there's so much untapped potential in this city.  

Photos : MOOT | alavinge.net |  Gothamist | WXY studio | Detail.de | 

SOMEONE PLEASE HELP SAVE THIS BUILDING FROM THE NCC

I recently learned from an article on Open File Ottawa, that there's this beautiful modern building, formally known as the Canada and the World Pavilion, that the NCC has been neglecting for the past couple years. At approximately $4 million dollars over budget, this glass building overlooking the Ottawa Rideau Falls was constructed in 2001. According to an article on the the NCC Watch, the intent for the building was for it to be a forum where visitors can see and appreciate the global achievements of Canadians in diplomacy, peacekeeping, aid, science, technology, art and sport. Also, the then chairman said that the pavilion would fill a gap in tourists' experience of Ottawa. 

While I like the idea, I would say from the picture below of the "better days" of the pavilion, they clearly didn't know what they were doing, starting with the presentation of the building. Who would cover a piece of art with stretched fabric like this? 

 

But that's nothing compared to the "business plan". Apparently the operating budget was $500,000 per year, admission was free and the objective was to attract 120,000 visitors per year. Mind you, the pavilion was only opened during the summer. As a entrepreneur, I cringed when I read this. What did they expect would come out of such a plan?

So essentially, they opened their doors in 2001, and just when the number of visitors reached their target, they closed their doors. The building was left mostly vacant since. Makes sense?

Seven years later, the NCC is putting the building for rent. They are now looking for a special tenant.  According to an article in the Ottawa Citizen, the lease would cost upwards of $254,000 per year, not including operating costs and taxes. To make things even more difficult, the tenant, which I'm assuming would like to make a profit as all businesses do,  is expected to support a national purpose and be accessible to the public. Now, what kind of business would fit this restrictive criteria and at the same time preserve the architecture ? 

I thought long and hard about it, and I think I came up with a good solution. It seems like most people like the idea of a museum. In fact I think the original idea of celebrating Canada's contribution is a good one, just poorly executed. What I would suggest is to open our very own branch of Madame Tussauds museum, featuring Canadian celebrities? The first one in Canada! 

 I'm assuming such a museum is successful by the simple fact that this model has been repeated in several cities around the world. There are currently 4 in the US, 5 in Europe, 3 in Asia and 1 in Australia.  There are a lot of successful canadians who already have their wax figures in the United States, such as Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Jim Carrey and William Shatner. Why not have the first Canadian version one in Ottawa?

How can we make it fit NCC's criteria? We focus only on Canadians and add more wax figures from our large pool of Canadian celebrities. Seriously, there's a lot to choose from.  Off the top of my head I can think of Keanu Reeves, Pamela Anderson, Keifer Sutherland, Drake, Deadmau5, Mike Myers, Rachel McAdams, Kardinal Offishall, Sandra Oh, Michael J Fox, Donald Sutherland, Seth Rogan, Russel Peters, etc. It's not that hard! We could also add our own Prime ministers to the list. What a fun and effective way to fill a gap in tourists' experience of Ottawa both for locals and tourists from around the world!

Now I'm considering looking for someone or a group of people to make this happen. So if you, or anyone you know fits the bill, have them contact me. If there's a way to take the NCC out of this deal completely, it's even better. We can't let the NCC ruin yet another gem in the city. In fact, you can find a long list of failures on the NCC Watch website.


The building has three levels and is built into a cliff facing the Ottawa River. It features two floors of open spaces with windows on three sides overlooking the river and a lower level built into the cliff. I cringe when I see so much potential wasted. Hard earned taxpayers money going to waste. This is unacceptable.

I even put together an initial conservative proposal. This is based on the data I was able to find so far. The MoOt plan is this : 

1. Keep it open year round: There's no reason I can think of that would justify closing a museum in the winter. Since NCC was able to bring it 125,000 visitors while opened only in the summer. We could conservatively expect to double the number of visitors if we keep the place open year-round 
2. Make it profitable: First, there should be an admission fee, say on average $30,00 per person. This should bring in minimum $7.2 million dollars a year. Second, there should be things visitors could purchase as a souvenir such as a wax molding of your hand (like it Las Vegas) and  merchandises. This should significantly increase revenues. 
3. Stay current and interesting : Use a clever marketing campaign to attract visitors, make the museum interactive and stay up to date with technologies. Add value to the visits with events such as appearances from celebrities, maybe even presentation sessions. Add new wax figures on a regular basis as well. It takes from six months to a year to complete a figure at a cost of $150,000 - $250,000. It looks feasible to me. 

From what I've seen in the four years I've been living in this city, is that if you want to make things happen in Ottawa, you have to do it yourself. I'm on board, but I can't do this alone. So if I can find the proper serious partners to make this happen, I will. So please spread the word. The deadline for proposals is April 30, 2012. 

Source : KatLevPhoto | Michael Afar | Shane Zurbrigg | NCC Watch | Wikipedia | Open File Ottawa | NCC Watch | Ottawa Citizen