HOUSING INNOVATION
Mayor’s Urban Design Awards
Arrive at Bowness and two innercity developments by RNDSQR stepped into the spotlight at this year’s Mayor’s Urban Design Awards.
These biennial awards — recognizing the contributions of architects, designers and artists to the city — were announced during a gala event at Studio Bell/National Music Centre on Nov. 15.
This year marked the debut of the Housing Innovation category, an award that went to three submissions — Arrive at Bowness, Village, and Grow.
Arrive at Bowness is a townhome development that was developed by Attainable Homes Calgary Corp. and by Partners Development Group., with Hindle Archi- tects as its architect.
Village and Grow are each by RNDSQR and had Modern Office of Design + Architecture (MoDA) as their architect. They’re both slated for sites in the established neighbourhood of Bankview.
“We were super (surprised) and humbled,” says Alkarim Devani, president and founder of RNDSQR, on the awards. His company also picked up an honourable mention in the Conceptual/Theoretical Urban Designs category for its proposed Courtyard 33 development with architecture by 5468796 Architecture in Marda Loop.
“Just excited for the city and to be part of the new urban movement and be around a group that’s concerned about what the fabric of our city is going to look like. Hav- ing the community out together and to be apart of that, was just very exciting for us,” adds Devani.
Grow is the only one of the three developments by RNDSQR where pre-construction sales are currently available. Prices range from $289,000 to $599,000. It’s expected that shovels will turn for its construction in January 2018.
Arrive at Bowness has three townhomes currently available for sale through Partners Development that are all $429,900.
With the housing innovation award, jurors took into account various factors, such as affordability, improved livability for seniors, and viable options for people facing mobility challenges, among others.
With Grow, the unit mix is intended to appeal to a range of de- mographics, says Devani. While many developments put multistorey floor plans at grade, the ground level for Grow has singlelevel floor plans with entrances at grade, which may appeal to people with mobility challenges or others who would like to age in the development throughout their adult lives.
Then there’s the feature making the name of the development clear.
“Each person will have an urban garden that they can plant on the roof,” says Devani. A communal garden is part of the plan, as well.
With Village, the development is planned for 78 units on a lot that would typically see 12. It will have townhomes, condos and lofts with prices at the development starting from the low $200,000s. Devani says “the proximity to transit and 17th Avenue S.W. make it a very desired location.”
Both developments add to density and affordability with home options that don’t include parking, he adds.
With Arrive at Bowness, a portion of the townhomes were sold through Attainable Homes Calgary Corp. and others through Partners Development at market prices.
Attainable Homes runs a homeownership program aimed at helping middle-income earning Calgarians afford the down payment on a new home.
Through the program, people can purchase a home for a down payment of $2,000. Applicants must qualify for a mortgage and not earn more than $80,000 annually.
People with dependent children can earn up to $90,000.
“When we first launched the project, there was a lineup of people that either lived in Bowness or grew up in Bowness that were eager to get back to that community,” says John Harrop, president and CEO of Attainable Homes Calgary. “Not only was this, certainly the most significant project of any size in Bowness last year, but it obviously struck a chord with the community.”
The development was built to the gold standard through Built Green Canada, a national certification program that measures a home’s level of energy efficiency based on factors including the materials that went into the home and the methods used constructing it.
“To do something with the (Attainable Homes) program and still be recognized for a design award means you can do good things on both sides,” says Greg Gutek, president and founder of Partners. “You can bring in some affordability to that marketplace and be recognized for a quality project.”
Gutek says Hindle Architecture had an important role in the win. He points to the exterior cladding and rooflines as eye- catching traits.
“The rooflines, pulling in the community, a lot of that was emulated to look at the long-standing (Sunnyside Home and Garden.)
“It has a bit of an industrial flavour with its location adjacent to commercial property but it still has a homey, funky feel to it,” he adds.
Calgary Municipal Land Corp. also left with a significant haul, taking home five trophies from this year’s awards.
A wholly owned subsidiary of the City of Calgary, CMLC was created to plan and deliver the Rivers District Revitalization Plan. Within that plan are East Village and Victoria Park.
It won for submissions including C- Square for the Civic Design Projects category, Crossroads Garden Shed for the Urban Fragments category, East Village Junction for Community Improvement Projects, and Studio Bell/National Music Centre for People’s ChoiceBuilding, along with an Honourable Mention for the St.Louis Hotel Restoration in the Mawson Urban Design category.
The residential side of East Village includes multiple condo skyscrapers by FRAM+Slokker, Bosa Development, and Knightsbridge Homes, along with a tower dubbed Ink by Battistella Developments.
“I was pleasantly surprised,” says Susan Veres, senior vice-president for CMLC, on the awards. “I know that there is a lot of attention on East Village right now. This year was a big year because a lot of our design ideas and execution culminated.
“I think it’s an acknowledgment of the good work we’re doing, but we take our work very responsibly,” she adds. “We know this is a wonderful project. We always say it’s an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to work on the East Village project.
“While it’s wonderful to win ... we really can’t do it without a lot of support, and that starts at the city.” WINNERS AND HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Conceptual/ Theoretical Urban Design Project
Winner:
Fourth Street Underpass Enhancement
Owner: The City of Calgary
Architect: the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc.
Honourable Mentions: Courtyard 33
Owner: RNDSQR
Architect: 5468796 Architecture
Eau Claire Plaza
Owner: The City of Calgary
Architect: the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc
Approved or Adopted Urban Design Plans
Winner:
Civic District Public Realm Strategy
Owner: The City of Calgary Architect: the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc. & Arriola & Fiol Arquitectes
Landscape Architect: PFS Studio
Urban Architecture Winner:
King Edward Arts Hub and Incubator
Owner: cSpace Projects
Architect: Nyhoff Architecture
Honourable Mentions:
GLAS
Owner: Avalon Master Builders
Architect: Sturgess Architecture
Shulich School of Engineering Owner: University of Calgary
Architect: Diamond Schmitt Architects & Gibbs Gage Architects
Civic Design Projects Winner:
C-SQUARE
Owner: Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC)
Architect: the marc boutin architectural collaborative inc.; Scatliff + Miller + Murray Inc.
Urban Fragments Winner:
Crossroads Garden Shed Owner: Calgary Municipal Land Corporation
Architect: 5468796 Architecture
Community Improvement Projects Winner:
East Village Junction Owner: Calgary Municipal Land Corporation
Architect: Nyhoff Architecture
Honourable Mentions:
The Fourth Avenue Flyover Owner: The City of Calgary
Designers: Faculty of Environmental Design, Bridgeland Riverside Community Association & Langevin School Students
The Backyard Laneway Activation Owner: The City of Calgary
Architects: Kasian Architecture Interior Design & Planning Ltd.
The Mason Urban Design Award Winner:
Conserving Calgary’s Historic Streets
Owner: The City of Calgary
Designers: The City of Calgary
Honourable mentions: Bowness Park Rehabilitation Owner: The City of Calgary (Parks)
Architects: IBI Group, Lorne Simpson James Reid
St. Louis Hotel Restoration Owner: Calgary Municipal Land Corporation (CMLC)
Architects: Nyhoff Architecture The Withrow Laneway House Owner: Studio North Architects: Studio North
City Edge Development Winner:
Great Plains Recreation Facility Owner: The City of Calgary
Architects: Marshall Tittemore Architects; MacLennan Jaunkalns Miller Architects
Honourable Mention: Haskayne Legacy Park Pavillion Owner: The City of Calgary
Architects: Nyhoff Architecture & O2 Planning + Design Inc
Great City, Great Design Winner:
New Central Library
Owner: The City of Calgary
Architects: Snøhetta DIALOG Design
Honourable Mention:
Willow Ridge Community Assoc. Owner: Willow Ridge Community Association
Architect: Nyhoff Architecture Housing Innovation Winners:
Grow
Owner: RNDSQR
Architect: Modern Office of Design + Architecture (MoDA)
Village
Owner: RNDSQR
Architect: Modern Office of Design + Architecture (MoDA)
Arrive at Bowness
Owner: Attainable Homes Calgary
Architect: Hindle Architects Ltd.
Green City
Honourable Mentions: Vegetated Roof Replacement Research and Demonstration Project Owner: The City of Calgary
Architect: Green T Design
MTGY/ The Montgomery Project Owner: BIOI Inc.
Architect: BIOI Inc.
People’s Choice - Building Winner: Studio Bell/National Music Centre
Architects: Allied Works Architecture & Kasian Architecture
People’s Choice - Public Space Winner: Bowness Park Rehabilitation
Owner: The City of Calgary (Parks) Architects: IBI Group, Lorne Simpson James Reid