The Lion’s Den
The LION'S DEN is a project completed between January 1st - April 31st, 2017.
The aim of the project is to create a community space including a park, ice rink, gymnasium, and retail centre for the Westboro community of Ottawa.
The project is a urban envisioning project which will asks us to redesign the sites and structures of a multi-tenanted pocket of land.
The site sits tucked between Scott Street and Richmond Road in the heart of Westboro in Ottawa and currently houses 3 different but complimentary programs. The northern portion of the site is occupied by the Granite Curling Club which is a private club and has existed since the early 1950's. On the southern portion of the site resides the Ottawa Gymnastic Centre, a non-profit organization which has been established since the 1960's. Nestled between the two sites is a Lions park which that is maintained by the City of Ottawa. The site's proximity to Richmond road and its adjacency to the Westboro Transit station (off Scott Street) makes the sites prime for transit oriented Community and Commercial space. The current site is under-utilized and has the potential to intensify as outlined in the Community Development Plan done by the City of Ottawa.
This hypothetical project is envisioned as a PPP (Private Public Partnership) whereby private investment could assist with the community redevelopment.
The intention is to develop a new vision for the sites that can capitalize its valuable location and symbiotically. Moreover, this project aims to: Improve and expand the current curling club & gymnastics club, re-invigorate the public park as a hub for local activity, re-establish the Lyons Hockey Arena, and introduce new Commercial/Retail space.
We are encouraged to reuse as much of the existing buildings as possible to minimize costs and environmental impact. We should openly explore creative solutions which address the program and improve the overall site design. Existing program (Curling Rink, Gymnastic Club, Lions Park) must remain on their respective lots. All new program can be divided between either site with the acknowledgement of separation between public and private building components.
