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Outstanding Urban Design Honored in Canada

One winning project adds greenery to urban spaces and combats hunger.

Mairi Beautyman -- Interior Design, 5/19/2008 12:00:00 AM

An "edible campus" and a ballet studio are among the winners of the 2008 National Urban Design Awards, presented by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), and Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA). The annual awards program recognizes individuals, organizations, firms, and projects positively impacting both life and sustainability in Canadian cities.

A project by the Minimum Cost Housing Group and McGill University School of Architecture, Edible Campus was conceived to add greenery and food sources in public spaces.

The jury praised the integration and organization of Project Grand Jeté, an expansion of Canada's National Ballet School completed by firms Goldsmith Borgal & Company Limited, Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architect, and ArchitectsAlliance.

"This year’s award submissions exemplify the importance of urban design in our lives, through a careful and deliberate blending of architecture, urban planning and landscape design," says Blake Hudema, CIP president. "The RAIC National Urban Design Awards recognize those who have risen to the challenge and contributed to the culture of cities."

The awards will be presented June 27 at the RAIC President's Dinner and Architects Association of New Brunswick Awards Dinner, held during the AANB/RAIC Conference and Festival of Architecture in Fredericton (June 25-28).

A complete list of winners is below.

Conceptual/Theoretical Urban Design Plans
Campus Outremont - Université de Montréal (Montreal)

Urban Architecture
Master Planning: Canada's National Ballet School (Toronto)

Civic Design Projects
Corktown Footbridge (Ottawa, ON)

Urban Fragments
Making the Edible Campus (Montreal)

Special Jury Awards: Sustainable Development
Lower Don Lands (Toronto)

Special Jury Awards: Small or Medium Community Urban Design Award
University of Ontario Institute of Technology (Oshawa, ON)

Student Awards: Studio-based Award
iCITY: PublicSpace v2.0 (Calgary, AB)

Certificates of Merit

Approved or Adopted Urban Design Plans
River Landing Riverfront Master Plan (Saskatoon, SK)

Urban Architecture
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (Toronto)
Biological Sciences Buildings, Université du Québec (Montreal)

Civic Design Projects
7th Avenue LRT Refurbishment (Calgary, AB)
Leigh Square (Port Coquitlam, BC)

Community Improvement Project
Calgary Starts Here: Olympic Plaza Cultural District Strategy (Calgary, AB)

Student Work/Projects: Studio-based Work
False Creek (Vancouver)

From top: Project Grand Jeté, an expansion of Canada's National Ballet School; Edible Campus by the Minimum Cost Housing Group and McGill University School of Architecture.

Photos from top: Tom Arbon; Ismael Hautecoeur.