Architecture of Ottawa

Urban design consultant Trevor Boddy said that "with the relative extremes of poverty and wealth removed here, along with the vital concentrations of immigrant cultures which denote most Canadian cities, Ottawa seemed to me to represent only the hollow norm, the vacant centre.".

[4] The early years of the OIC under the direction of Montreal-born architect Frederick Todd saw the removal of industry along the canal, the definition of Patterson Creek and the transfer of Rockcliffe Park to the federal government.

[8] As a federal agency, the NCC worked along with were then many individual municipal governments on the Ontario and Quebec sides in planning and designing the city.

It acquired the lands for the Greenbelt and in the 1960s it removed the railway tracks from downtown, making rail travel less accessible, but also opening the Rideau Canal as a scenic tourist destination.

Outside of the core, the roads follow the modern standard of large avenues forming a grid, interspersed with a network of crescents and cul-de-sacs which create low-traffic, suburban neighbourhoods.

One long standing rule that had a great effect on the downtown core, was a prohibition on buildings being taller than the 92 metres (302 ft) tall Peace Tower.

The Greenbelt has remained largely intact, but Ottawa's newest suburbs such as Kanata, Barrhaven, and Orleans have jumped over the belt.

Kanata is especially notable as developer Bill Teron's attempt to create a modern suburb embracing garden city principles.

Today the federal government has stuck with modernist simplicity for its functional buildings, but has turned again to monumental architecture for projects of national significance.

They also have allowed the capital to become a showcase for buildings by three of Canada's most prominent architects: Moshe Safdie, Douglas Cardinal, and Raymond Moriyama.

The OPL and LAC Joint Facility is an ongoing project by the City of Ottawa, designed by Diamond Schmitt and KWC Architects whose form rejects traditional rectilinear geometry.

The building's design is strongly connected to the natural landscape of the LeBreton Flats Area and will hopefully add to the list of critically acclaimed architecture found in Ottawa.

The architecture of the U of O is also noted for its embrace of brutalism, including Morisset Hall, a massive poured concrete building that houses the central libraries of the University.

The SITE Building completed in 1997, a highly postmodern structure that has attracted much acclaim, breaking with the University's late 20th century trend of modernist architecture.

A newer project, the Desmarais building at the prominent intersection of Laurier and Nicholas, houses the Telfer School of Management and the Faculty of Arts.

Both buildings have been constructed in the modern style, and are accompanied by a considerable amount of landscaping, as the Saint Paul campus is located on a prime spot along the Rideau River.

The most notable building affiliated with Saint Paul University is the nearby Maison Deschatelets, a residence for religious scholars owned by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

The design of Carleton's campus and buildings deliberately rejected monumentalism, focusing instead on the academic quadrangle, aiming to present an egalitarian rather than elite sensibility.

Many of the old mansions built by lumber barons or early politicians now house embassies, and the foreign missions help keep many of these buildings in good condition.

Areas like Alta Vista and the older parts of Nepean are dominated by these quickly built single storey houses with a garage attached and little overt styling.

The towers from this era share an almost universal design, brick or concrete facades unadorned except for the large numbers of balconies given to each suite.

Ottawa has not seen as extensive a boom in condo construction as Toronto or Vancouver, but several prominent structures have been built including the Minto Metropole and a number of towers in the Byward Market area.

The Briarcliffe section of the Rothwell Heights was a showcase for modernist domestic architecture in the early sixties, thanks to the influence of architects Walter Schreier, Brian Barkham, James W. Strutt, Paul Schoeler and Matt Stankiewicz, as well as the area's proximity to the National Research Council, a magnet for international talent.

[16] New residential developments in Ottawa include nationally significant structures featuring a modern sensitivity toward energy efficiency and sustainability.

[17][18][19] The duplex, constructed in New Edinburgh adjacent to the Rideau River, demonstrates the integration of modern sustainable architecture into one of the city's oldest neighbourhoods.

Especially during the boom years of the 1990s Ottawa was often touted as "Silicon Valley North", home to such firms as Nortel, Corel, JDS Uniphase, and Cognos.

Both Nortel and JDS Uniphase opted to build large compounds on the fringe of the city, while Corel has a series of towers by the Queensway.

While the downturn severely hurt this industry, it has recovered in recent years with many smaller firms occupying office space in the west end.

Surviving commercial buildings from early Ottawa can be seen in some parts of downtown, most notably the heritage area along Sussex Drive and the Sparks Street pedestrian mall.

In recent years the newest suburbs have been home to large collections of big-box stores rather than traditional malls, with sprawling such complexes in Kanata, Barrhaven, and South Keys.