Award

80 | FEBRUA RY 2017 PHOTOGRAPHY [1,4,5,7] COURTESY ANDAZ OTTAWA BYWARD MARKET Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market by PETER STENNING M odern opulence in the heart of an historic market district: that, in a nutshell, describes the 200-room Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market hotel, owned and developed by Claridge Homes (which is owned by the Malhotra family) and operated by Hyatt Hotels Corporation. From street level, Andaz Ottawa's 17-storey window wall aluminum composite shell is a bold statement amidst the historic brick structures of the surrounding neighbourhood, while the interiors exhibit a striking attention to spare, modern design values (courtesy of Mason Studio), with colours, accents and lighting reflecting aspects of the greater ByWard community. Most remarkably, considering the international respect enjoyed by the Andaz brand, this is the first hotel attempted by Claridge, better known as the largest condominium builder and second largest homebuilder in Ottawa. "Andaz was a steep learning curve for us, but we received enormous help from Mason and many of the other professionals," says Claridge project manager Matt Murfitt. The genesis of Andaz Ottawa dates back to 2012, when NEUF architect(e)s undertook the preliminary design of Claridge's plan to add a boutique hotel to the Ottawa landscape. "We began without having secured a client, and yet 90 percent of our original concepts were ultimately carried through to the final product," says Gary Hlavaty, architectural technologist for NEUF architect(e)s. The project attracted controversy early on, due to the fact that the hotel would be erected at the site of the Union of Canada building on Dalhousie Street. "Built in the 1970s, this structure was well-loved and locals didn't want to see it go," says Hlavaty. "So we undertook extensive public consultation, and Union of Canada was ultimately demolished floor by floor rather than imploded, due to site constraints." Peter Goodeve, principal of Goodeve Structural Inc., recalls, "Originally we explored the idea of redeveloping the existing building, as we had a comprehensive set of drawings for the structure. But it ultimately proved to be easier to start fresh and design to existing seismic codes." The foundations of the old building were ideal for the new hotel. "Our hotel would be the same height as Union of Canada but contain more levels thanks to less floor-to-floor height," says Goodeve, adding, "we were able to retain the existing structural grid system, meaning we retained the basement columns and replicated them in the upper floors." Despite the remarkable consistency of Andaz Ottawa's overall architectural concept from inception to completion, substantial changes occurred during the design phase. "For example, there was always going to be a rooftop terrace, but at one point there was also going to be a rooftop swimming pool – but this proved to be unfeasible," says Hlavaty. The project kicked into high gear in January of 2015, when Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced that its affiliate had reached an agreement with Claridge to create the first Andaz-branded hotel in Canada. Given Andaz's hip, tech-savvy clientele, some traditional hotel design elements were abandoned, such as the check-in counter at the lobby (tablet-equipped staff would take its place). "Not having a classic grand lobby simplified our work inasmuch as hotel lobbies commonly undergo troublesome last-minute changes due to hospitality design trends being so short-lasting," says Murfitt. 1 2 3 6 5 4

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