Fort Erie waterfront plan is tops
Massive, multi-year proposal earns Region’s top design award
The Town of Fort Erie’s waterfront strategy took top marks in Niagara Region’s inaugural Biennial Design Awards, announced this week.
The awards, announced Monday during a planning and economic development committee meeting, recognize design excellence in projects in all 12 Niagara municipalities.
The Region recognized 18 projects in eight categories, selected from 68 submissions from property owners, developers, architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, engineers, interior designers, artists and students.
Fort Erie’s multi-year waterfront project — entered under the visionary design category — earned the grand prize in the competition, standing out for recognizing the town’s entire waterfront as a fundamental feature of the community.
In its report, the Niagara Biennial Design Awards jury wrote the project “proposes an urban design approach that operates on every level.”
Other award winners included:
The Brock District Plan in St. Catharines and Thorold and the Glendale District Plan in Niagara-on-the Lake and St. Catharines each receiving awards of excellence in the visionary design category.
In the urban design category, the outstanding achievement award went to the St. Paul Street transformation project, while the Luminaires Celebration in Niagara-on-the Lake won the award of excellence.
The 13th Street Winery in St. Catharines won outstanding achievement, while Redstone Winery in Lincoln and a heritage reconstruction at 106 Queen St. in Niagara-on-the Lake won awards of excellence in the architecture category.
Interior design category awards went to the Williams Hall restoration at Ridley College for outstanding achievement and the award of excellence went to Niagara College’s student commons in Niagaraon-the Lake.
Landscape architecture category winners were Bay Beach Waterfront Park in Fort Erie for outstanding achievement, while the international plaza at regional headquarters won an award of excellence.
In the Commemorative Landscapes category, the Landscape of Nations and the Voices of Freedom Park both in NOTL earned outstanding achievement awards, as well as the Welland Canals Fallen Workers Memorial in St. Catharines.
Outdoor art projects “Ascendente” and “Is this modern society?” both in St. Catharines each won awards of excellence in that category.
The student design category award of excellence went to ReEngaging the Defunct and Historic Welland Canals in St. Catharines and Thorold.
The Niagara Biennial Design Awards award program was launched in 2019, replacing the region’s Niagara Community Design Awards, which ran from 2005 to 2016. Awards will be presented every other year.