Latest Château pitch still isn’t good enough
Plan clashes with basic character of a historic site, says David Jeanes.
The following is offered in rebuttal to a column by Mohammed Adam June 11 about the proposed addition to the Château Laurier:
Mohammed Adam has stated that, as the latest version of the proposed addition to the Château Laurier is the third, (in fact it’s the fourth one made public), we should “get on with it” and build the new wing. He contends that resistance to the design is rooted in dislike of change, or of Modernism. Nothing could be further from the truth. Heritage Ottawa does not oppose change, nor do we resist Modernism. We seek one thing only: design excellence.
Our city has many examples of excellent Modernist additions to historic buildings, some of them just around the corner from the Château Laurier. Most recently, a glass addition to the concrete National Arts Centre has proven successful, largely because it respects and echoes the massing and geometry of the older building. A more radical alteration was the 1970s’ addition to the Bank of Canada, which also succeeds. Its architect, Arthur Erickson, understood the underlying principles and architectural language of the Classical building he was adding to, and found a way to speak in a modern dialect of that language. Less than two kilometres away is the Canadian Museum of Nature, where the glass tower completes the original architect’s intention, but in an entirely Modern style. Although not an addition to an existing building, the National Gallery manages to be both of its time and of its place by factoring its proximity to Parliament into its Modernist design.
All of these examples work because the architects took the earlier buildings’ characters and qualities as their starting point, and made it a priority — not an afterthought — to connect meaningfully with them.
The problem with all of the proposals for the addition to the Château Laurier is not that they are modern, nor that they change the building. It is that they clash with the fundamental qualities and sensibility of the historic building. Heritage Ottawa encourages and applauds design excellence in any style. But any addition to the Château Laurier must take into account the unique qualities of the heritage building, the national importance of the site, and the unique challenges these pose. Heritage Ottawa’s view is that sensitivity has not been shown to the particular and crucial challenges posed by this building and its site.
No less troubling is the notion that the current design should be accepted not because of its quality, but because the applicants have made several attempts. Future generations will have to live with whatever design is adopted. The favouring of expediency over excellence would be unforgivable. We have one chance to get this right. The national capital and indeed the nation deserve nothing less.
Enough already. Let’s get on with designing a suitable new wing for the Château Laurier, that will add to the building ’s beauty and respect its status as a beloved piece of our national heritage.