Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/178290
architecturally aggressive than what is being built, but as the City of Ottawa wanted it to blend into the background more the original intent was modi ied. This, he says, directed its form and the materials that were selected. Central 1 began on the former site of the Metropolitan Bible Church, an angular red brick facility built in the 1930s. Part of the site's condition of sale was that the City of Ottawa required that the Metropolitan's facade would be retained as part of the new development, due to its heritage designation. Toronto's Core Architects, which is marking its ninth collaboration with Urban Capital, had the task of integrating its red brick masonry face with the rest of the development, and John G. Cooke & Associates Ltd. was tasked with determining how the facade would be best preserved. Storing and reattaching the facade cost over a million dollars. Eighteen metres of Leda clay on top of rock, and the need to dig out a parking garage made it impossible to simply construct by Pamela Tourigny a steel frame anchored to rock at street PHOTOS: TONY FOUHSE PHOTOGRAPHY level to hold the facade in place. Three here is nothing misleading about the name of the Ottawa options were identi ied, including dismantling and reconcondominium development, Central, currently under structing it, keeping it in place during construction, and movconstruction in Ottawa's Centretown neighbourhood. ing the facade and putting it back in place It is as central as can be, situated along arterial Bank Street, later. Ultimately the third option was selected, as it allowed for conventional which cuts north-south through the heart of Ottawa. Central is just the kind of development with the potential shoring and foundation construction, as to trigger the revitalization of a neighbourhood, and that is well as making minor adjustment to the exactly what is happening as its glass facade takes over sev- facade location and elevation. Maintaining a heritage component in eral blocks touching Bank Street, McLeod Street and Gladstone Avenue, just blocks from Parliament Hill and Ottawa's a new development is not uncommon, but the way it unfolded was a product downtown core. "We were a bit skeptical of the neighbourhood at irst," of innovative engineering; after all, in says Dave Wex, partner with Urban Capital, the developer involved taking a 300,000-pound, fourbehind Central, as well as a number of other projects in storey brick facade out of a pit dug at Ottawa and Toronto. "But as the development has evolved, we the construction site and putting it back have realized that it has the potential to be city-de ining. It where it used to be. Excavation commenced in November has been an interesting neighbourhood branding exercise." Urban Capital specializes in developing in ill sites into 2009, and in February 2010, the facade thriving urban habitats, with a focus on inner city neighbour- was detached from the remaining struchoods and a philosophy of urban regeneration. Wex describes ture, and carefully lifted by two cranes Central as affordable high design: spectacular 17-foot-high in more than a dozen steps until it was in place to lower into lobbies, landscaped courtyards and impressive amenity the bottom of the excavation. Crews stabilized the facade by spaces are all part of the product. "The common areas are the bolting the frame into pile caps and welding it to the excavation's steel shoring system. best we've done," Wex says. One year later, to the day, the same steps were performed Central 1 offers a variety of housing styles, including single- and double-storey high-ceiling lofts and penthouses, in reverse and the facade was reattached exactly where it had and double-storey 'loft-houses' with mezzanine openings. stood before, but now supported by Central's concrete skeleThe interior style is modern, linear and clean with exposed ton. While there had been a risk of damage during the process, concrete ceilings and columns, loor-to-ceiling windows, and the move was ultimately successful. Doran Residential Contractors, who also worked with European-style inishes. Central came about when Urban Capital's Ottawa-based Urban Capital on the East Market condos in Ottawa's ByWard partner, Taggart Group, came to Wex with the site that they Market, had the challenge of building a condo that extends had located while looking for a place to build a Shoppers from property line to property line. "There is no room for a Drug Mart. Seeing the potential, the site was re-imagined as staging area and coordinating deliveries when there is very a mid-rise residential complex, and as two adjacent sites also little storage on site takes some effort," says Doran's Martyn Sanders. became available and were acquired, Central was born. Occupancy for the irst phase began in late 2011, as conDoran Residential Contractors became involved early on, during the design phase. Central is a LEED Silver-targeted struction continued on Central 2, as well as Hideaway across condo development comprised of three phases: Central 1, the street. Occupants will be moving into a development that Central 2 and Hideaway at Central. Ground-level retail fea- is among Ottawa's most environmentally friendly; Central has been registered with the CaGBC as a LEED Silver building. tures Starbucks, and of course, that Shoppers Drug Mart. According to Wex, the original vision for Central was more "This was our irst experience with LEED, but it certainly Central 1 T Central – Phase 1 p.74-75St. Mary's_Central 1.indd 75 won't be our last," Wex says. "It was challenging, but now we can take what we learned and apply it to other projects." All of Central's units will be individually metered, each of the buildings will have vegetated green roofs and rainwater storage systems, with the collection and use of rainwater on site, reducing and possibly eliminating stormwater runoff into the city's stormwater system. All lofts will have dual lush toilets; water ef icient faucets and showerheads; sustainable, hardwood looring; and zero-VOC-emitting paints and low-emitting coatings, adhesives, sealants and looring. Overall energy usage will be reduced by using energy-ef icient windows and lighting, Energy Star appliances, highef iciency boilers, and heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) that recover heat typically exhausted from suites. HRVs have the added bene it of bringing in fresh air directly from the outside, rather than through the corridors, as is the case in most non-LEED buildings. "Our product is urban, high design; we stitch cities together," Wex says. "This development offers affordable, modern residences in the heart of the city." ■ LOCATION Bank and Gladstone Streets Ottawa, Ontario OWNER/DEVELOPER Urban Capital Tamarack Homes CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Doran Residential Contractors Ltd. ARCHITECT Core Architects Inc. STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Ltd. MECHANICAL/ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Quadrant Engineering Limited CHURCH FACADE CONSULTANT John G. Cooke & Associates Ltd. LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Ferris & Associates TOTAL AREA 240,000 square feet (above grade) TOTAL CONSTRUCTION COST $70 million APRIL 2012 /75 3/30/12 11:25:24 AM