The latest version of the proposed expansion of the Château Laurier incorporates more eco-friendly features. Courtesy of Larco InvestmentsStill can’t find anything positive in the Château Laurier expansion plan?
Some observers say the enhanced green spaces in the controversial plan are something worth rescuing from the new designs.
The controversy around the Château Laurier expansion flared in September, when many said that the new addition looked too modern next to the landmark heritage building.
Even Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson commented that the designers needed to go “back to the drawing board.”
And a redesign revealed on Nov. 17 hasn’t allayed public concerns. After the new plan was unveiled at a public meeting, social media reactions indicated that the revised drawings were seen as too similar to the ones unveiled in September.
However, despite all the negative reaction, the new exterior courtyard and plans to include green roofs prompted some positive comments about the project.
According to Mark Brand, the architect in charge of the heritage component, one of the main issues addressed by the design team was that windows in the hotel ballroom cannot be opened, since the room currently faces the concrete wall of a parking structure.
“One of the most important historic rooms is not allowed, like it was originally intended, to be associated with green space,” said Brand.
Derek Lee, the landscape architect, said creating a connection between the Château Laurier and its natural surroundings is one of his priorities.
For this reason, the new design includes green roofs that aim to enhance the urban ecology and provide a visual connection with Major’s Hill Park.
“We like to describe this as green to green: the idea of taking the green aspects of the park and pulling them into the foreground context of the hotel and the residence,” said Lee.
Acknowledging the similarities between the old and the new designs, chief architect Peter Clewes emphasized that modern additions should always be distinguishable from an existing heritage building, according to the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada.
“Buildings and architecture are important cultural markers of any time,” said Clewes. “We don’t build the way we did 100 years ago, we build to reflect our contemporary culture.”
Mariana Esponda, the coordinator of the Architectural Conservation and Sustainability program at Carleton University, said green roofs are a modern architectural feature that could distinguish the planned addition from the original, early 20th-century building.
“Right now the roofs in most places are empty, not being used,” said Esponda. “So a contemporary strategy like green roofs is a good one, because they are a sustainable way to enhance the building.”
The addition and popularization of green roofs can be very beneficial to the downtown community, as they reduce stormwater runoff, improve air quality, and help mitigate the “urban heat island effect,” said Steven Peck, president and founder of the non-profit association Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
“A green roof will prevent heat from going into the building,” said Peck, “and if you get enough green roofs in a city then the amount of money spent on air conditioners in all the buildings becomes less.”
According to Peck, the City of Ottawa should implement policies that support the use of green roofs and other forms of green infrastructure.
“Ottawa is lagging behind other cities around the world,” he said. “The city has to step up like Toronto and San Francisco, which have made green roofs a requirement on all their buildings.”
Larco Investments, the company that owns the Château Laurier, is planning to submit their proposal to the City of Ottawa by the end of this year, with construction beginning in late fall of 2017.