Architectural Rejuvenation Project
URBAN AND HISTORIC CONTEXT
Barry Padolsky Associates Inc., Architects, Urban Design and Heritage Consultants February 13, 2015
Aerial view of National Arts Centre (2010)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction...... 2
Urban and Historic Context...... 2 . The Holt/Bennett Plan ...... 4
The Gréber Plan ...... 6
The Parkin Plan ...... 8
Architecture and National Identity: the Centennial Projects ...... 9
NAC: The Architectural Challenge ...... 10
The Architectural Response ...... 13
Architectural Style: Polite “Brutalism” ...... 16
Re-inventing “Brutalism”...... 17
NCC Canada’s Capital Core Sector Plan and View Protection ...... 18
City of Ottawa Downtown Urban Design Strategy ...... 20
City of Ottawa Downtown Moves Strategy ...... 21
Heritage Considerations ...... 22
NAC Architectural Rejuvenation: Urban Design Objectives ...... 27
Conclusion..…………………………………………………………………………………………….32
Appendix A: Cultural Heritage Impact on the Rideau Canal World HeritageSite……………….33
References ...... 39
1 Bird’s Eye View of City of Ottawa (Brosius 1876) INTRODUCTION
The objective of the NAC Rejuvenation project is to expand its public spaces and create an inviting entrance and transparent architectural presence on Confederation Square, in the core of Canada’s Capital. A conceptual design for the Architectural Rejuvenation has been prepared by Diamond Schmitt Architects (January 26, 2015) and described in the architect’s Project Brief (July 3, 2014).
This report has been prepared to provide an urban and historic framework for the National Arts Centre Architectural Rejuvenation Project. It provides a brief summary of the major factors that influenced the original 1964 architectural design in its urban setting. It also examines the specific “Capital” and “Civic” urban design objectives that are addressed by the Architectural Rejuvenation Project a half century after the NAC’s birth.
URBAN AND HISTORIC CONTEXT
Although generally taken for granted, the urban context of the National Arts Centre still reflects some remarkable features deriving from the original Bytown Plan laid out by Colonel By in 1827. This legacy includes the Rideau Canal (now a World Heritage Site), a diagonal counterpoint to Bytown’s orthogonal plan that continues to excite and challenge planning initiatives today. In designing the NAC, its architects discovered that the constraint of the canal, set at approximately 30 degrees to the city grid, could be reconciled and exploited by the simple use of the hexagon, a design tool that enabled the creation of a distinct and complex architectural ensemble that grew from the genius loci.
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Views of Second City Hall from Parliament (circa 1930) Close-up view of Second City Hall (circa 1930)
Elgin Street commercial district (1910) Russell House on Elgin Street (1910)
Until 1914, the future Confederation Square and NAC were part of a dense civic precinct studded with Second Empire architecture. Elgin Street, at the city’s commercial heart, was Ottawa’s first urban design achievement. Running parallel to the Rideau Canal, and lined with buildings like the Russell House Hotel and Theatre, Elgin Street consciously linked the “Capital” and “Civic” realms with its framed diagonal view of the Centre Block’s Victoria Tower at its northern terminus (Stent and Laver Architects) and Ottawa’s second City Hall at its southern terminus (Horsey and Shead Architects).
With the rapid expansion of the Canadian Government’s presence in the Capital during the First World War, the balance between “Civic” and “Capital” realms began to shift.
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Municipal and Railway Centre astride the Rideau Canal (Holt/Bennett Plan 1915)
THE HOLT/BENNETT PLAN 1915
In 1915, the Federal Plan Commission for Ottawa and Hull (the Holt/Bennett Plan) was tabled with a vision to establish a more dominant and coherent federal identity for Ottawa.
Led by Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden, the Holt/Bennett plan was inspired by the North American “city beautiful” movement and Sir Wilfrid Laurier’s dream of Ottawa as a “Washington of the North”.
The Holt/Bennett plan imagined a grand “Government Centre” along Wellington and Sussex, now part of contemporary Confederation Boulevard.
The plan also exploited the Rideau Canal as a dramatic diagonal extension to the Government Centre, incorporating an expanded Union Station as the urban railway gateway to the Capital: the Municipal and Railway Centre.
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Municipal and Railway Centre with Elgin Street Axis enhanced (Holt/Bennett Plan 1915)
Prophetically, a century before Ottawa’s current downtown LRT transit tunnel (now under construction), the Holt/Bennett plan proposed a tunnel under Ottawa’s core to seamlessly link the local public streetcar system with the intercity railway network without being constrained by the growing congestion of Ottawa’s streets.
The Holt/Bennett plan also astutely exploited and enhanced the diagonal Elgin Street axis by recommending that an “Auditorium” replace the existing City Hall as the visual focal point at the southern end of the Elgin Street axis. (City Hall would be demolished and rebuilt to face the expanded Union Station and a small triangular plaza on Elgin Street). When the Borden government fell in 1920, the Holt/Bennett plan was quietly retired.
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Gréber Plan showing “Confederation Park” (1938)
THE GRÉBER PLAN
In 1935, the newly elected Prime Minister Mackenzie King revived the initiative to plan and transform the Capital. The Gréber Plan, tabled in 1938, imagined a monumental “Confederation Park” along the Rideau Canal with national and civic buildings strategically located to emphasize their symbolic significance.
The execution of the plan commenced with the widening of Elgin Street between Lisgar and Albert as a mini “Champs Elysée”.
Utilizing the sites of the Russell House Hotel (burned 1928), and the Ottawa City Hall (burned 1931), the Post Office facing Connaught Place was demolished to make room for Confederation Square with the National War Memorial as its focal point.
Although Gréber preferred the memorial to be located in Major Hill’s Park, King’s choice prevailed. The National War Memorial was unveiled in 1939.
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Gréber presents plan (April 1949)
Gréber plan showing proposed National Theatre and City Hall (1950)
In 1950, the monumental Gréber plan for the core was refined and adopted. It reiterated the vision for “Confederation Park” enhanced by formal avenues, Beaux Arts buildings, and the removal of Union Station and the railway tracks. A grand East-West Bridge across the canal (Mackenzie King Bridge) would be the ceremonial centrepiece of the plan featuring a new City Hall at its eastern terminus and a National Theatre at the west end.
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Parkin Plan showing proposed National Museum and Rideau Canal Basin (Parkin 1962)
THE PARKIN PLAN 1962
In 1962, in the “heroic age” of the federal government’s efforts to implement the Gréber Plan, the NCC retained John C. Parkin, one of Canada’s respected modern architects, to update the Gréber Plan for Confederation Park.
The NCC’s Parkin Plan significantly established a site for the new National Museum to define the south edge of the grand Confederation Square. The new museum would replace the historic Victoria Memorial Museum. The plan introduced the imaginative idea of re-creating the Rideau Canal basin as Confederation Square’s focal point and centrepiece. The plan also introduced a new Convention Centre (in place of Union Station) and accommodated the government’s growing need for downtown office space through the dense redevelopment of the liberated railway lands on the east bank of the Rideau Canal (the future Rideau Centre).
Seemingly ambitious, the 1962 Parkin Plan was just one element in the NCC’s formidable 1960’s core area planning and building program. The program simultaneously included the expropriation and clearing of Lebreton Flats (for a National Defense HQ), the closing of Union Station, the removal of the railway tracks, the extension of Colonel By Drive, the commencing of the east bank government office complex - the NDHQ building - originally intended for Transport Canada (John C. Parkin Architect), and the expropriation and conservation of properties along Sussex Drive to create a “Mile of History”.
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“Architecture and National Identity” Marco Polo and Colin Ripley (2014)
ARCHITECTURE AND NATIONAL IDENTITY: THE CENTENNIAL PROJECTS
The National Arts Centre was the federal government’s centennial project to commemorate Canada’s 1967 celebration of Confederation.
The project fulfilled a long-held national dream to create a Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts in the Capital.
While the NCC’s Gréber Plan (1950) argued that it was “impossible” to consider a National Capital without a National Theatre, the project’s realization can also be attributed to the remarkable influence of the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences (Massey Report) tabled in 1951.
J. Hamilton Southam, the leading advocate for the creation of a Performing Arts Centre in the Capital, was appointed by the Pearson government in 1963 to implement the project.
The architectural firm Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold, and Sise (ARCOP) was appointed in 1964 to design the building on the strength of their exemplary performing arts architectural achievements. The facility was constructed by V.K. Mason and officially opened in 1969.
The location for the Performing Arts Centre, just south of the National War Memorial, was chosen and recommended to cabinet by the NCC (over 2 other shortlisted sites), for its centrality and prominence in the core of Canada’s Capital.
The property, formerly the site of Ottawa’s second city hall, was offered by Charlotte Whitton, mayor of the City of Ottawa.
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Queen Elizabeth Driveway ceremonial approach that would be blocked by the NAC (circa 1960-1963)
View of Chateau Laurier from Elgin Street that would be partly blocked by the NAC (circa 1940-1950)
NAC: THE ARCHITECTURAL CHALLENGE
It was acknowledged by the NCC and the federal government that the site would be “challenging”.
The site for the proposed Performing Arts Centre was publically criticized. It would effectively block a remarkable NCC urban design achievement: the diagonal view of the Parliament Buildings seen from the dramatic ceremonial approach to Confederation Square from Queen Elizabeth Driveway.
It was also recognized that the proposed Performing Arts Centre would block part of the views from Elgin Street looking north to Confederation Square and the Chateau Laurier.
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An ambitious building program with a gross floor area of 107,600 m2, including 3 theatres, would have to be squeezed into a very constrained and limited parcel of land.
The site was complicated by the diagonal intersection of the Rideau Canal and Ottawa’s orthogonal grid of streets and the recently constructed Mackenzie King Bridge (1951), a legacy of the Gréber Plan.
The facility would need to provide ample underground parking (950 spaces) and multiple vehicular entrances to mitigate the impact of additional traffic on the already congested Confederation Square (“Confusion Square”).
Ironically, this central location significantly compromised the NCC’s recently adopted Parkin Plan (1962) for a monumental and expanded Confederation Square. The Performing Arts Centre would be placed in the midst of the square, altering its open concept.
Confederation Square (Parkin Plan 1962)
A grand National Museum, designed by architects Thompson Berwick and Pratt was intended to define the south edge of Confederation Square. The NCC was concerned that the new Performing Arts Centre would block the views from Parliament and the War Memorial area to the proposed new National Museum.
In recommending the proposed site for the Performing Arts Centre, NCC Chairman Lt. General S. F. Clark’s memo to Cabinet (February 13, 1964) reported that the Centre’s architects would be given design guidelines for consideration to mitigate the site’s challenges.
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National Museum (Thompson, Berwick and Pratt Architects 1961)
The NCC guidelines to architects (still to be appointed) stated:
1. That the greatest possible care should be taken in the designing of this building in relation to the new National Museum and the ‘Parkin Plan’.
2. That the building design should be carried out in close conjunction with the design of the remaining land west of the canal and with due regard for the development of the east bank of the canal.
3. That the design contribute to the development of the whole Confederation Square area, so as to be lively and human in spirit both day and night. A restaurant was considered to be essential for this purpose.
4. That the centre shall not give the impression of over-dominance or lifelessness in the square. That the design takes into account the need for the preservation of as much view as possible from Elgin Street to the canal.
5. That the design does not compromise the basic concept of the open diagonal vista and approach to Parliament Hill along the line of the Rideau Canal.
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Lebensold presenting model to Jim Langford, and Hamilton Southam (March 1, 1965)
THE ARCHITECTURAL RESPONSE
Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold and Sise Architects’ response to the challenges of the site and the NCC’s Parkin Plan were bold:
1. The massing of the Performing Arts Centre was compressed into the bedrock to create the lowest possible profile in order to allow for views to the National Museum – a building project that was subsequently cancelled.
2. The varying theatre volumes were positioned to step down to the east to maximize the remaining views to Parliament from the Rideau Canal.
3. The facility was conceived as a natural landscape covered in terraces with the three theatre volumes rising as a series of “rocky outcrops” to avoid competing with urban architecture that would define the edges of the new Confederation Square.
4. The facility was designed on a hexagonal grid to reconcile the site’s angular constraints and create an irregular composition that would reinforce the reading of the building as part of the natural landscape.
5. The principal entrance to the Performing Arts Centre was consciously positioned to face and exploit the proposed dramatic east bank Rideau Canal basin - the focal point of the NCC’s Parkin Plan for the new Confederation Square that was never executed.
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NCC Design Committee Review (June 22 1964)
On June 22, 1964, the NCC Design Committee reviewed architect Lebensold’s design proposals. The architectural design was approved with enthusiasm notwithstanding the recognition that views to the proposed National Museum from Confederation Square would be blocked. The “natural” rugged massing of the three theatres rising from the generous pedestrian terraces were deemed to satisfy the NCC guideline that the Performing Arts Centre should contribute a lively prospect to Confederation Square.
View of NAC from Elgin Street (ARCOP 1964) Views from Elgin Street (ARCOP 1964)
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Revised Parkin Plan incorporating the NAC (1967)
View from east bank of Rideau Canal towards NAC and outdoor amphitheatre (Hart Massey 1967)
The Parkin Plan was updated in 1967 to include the NAC and incorporate the NCC’s complementary proposals for Confederation Square, which were designed to link Ottawa’s Upper Town and Lower Town business districts and create an amphitheatre leading down to the proposed Rideau Canal Basin (Hart Massey Architect).
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NAC under construction (1966)
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE : POLITE “BRUTALISM”
The exterior character of the Performing Arts Centre employed the “New Brutalist” style, an architectural movement (1952- mid 1970’s) inspired by the works of Le Corbusier. “Brutalist” architecture, branded for its ubiquitous use of le beton brut, gained an enthusiastic following among modern architects and their clients who were finding fewer opportunities to say something new in the glass and steel aesthetic of the International Style. Architectural Brutalism was admired for its exploitation of raw concrete as an “honest” building material. It could be used for dramatic aesthetic and sculptural effect. Raw concrete construction was also relatively inexpensive.
The Brutalist style was not without critics. It was considered to be “unfriendly and uncommunicative instead of being integrating and protective”. The UK’s Prince Charles (not an admirer of Brutalist architecture) was quoted as saying: “you have to give this much to the Luftwaffe - when it knocked down our buildings, it didn’t replace them with anything more offensive than rubble”.
Lebensold’s NAC (clad in precast concrete), like the architect’s Confederation Centre for the Arts (clad in Wallace sandstone), is considered to be a subtler, refined, and “polite” form of Brutalism.
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NAC: View from Elgin Street
NAC: View from War Memorial NAC: View from Confederation Park
RE-INVENTING “BRUTALISM”
Half a century on, a number of European and North American public landmarks designed in the Brutalist style are being re-invented to respond to changing public values and expectations.
Brutalist performing art centres, art galleries and libraries, now candidates for heritage designation in their own right, are being carefully redesigned to incorporate greater transparency, reveals their animated interiors, and engages more directly with the public realm. Examples include the current transformation plans for Britain’s National Theatre, a Grade II* listed Brutalist building constructed in1967-1976 (Sir Denys Lasdun Architect).
The National Arts Centre’s Rejuvenation Project, is one of this family of Brutalist re-inventions. It is intended to “open” the NAC to the capital, create new inviting public spaces, and showcase the interactive performing arts experience.
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NCC vision for Confederation Boulevard (circa 1986)
Canada’s Capital Core Area Sector Plan (2005) Canada’s Capital Views Protection (2007)
NCC CANADA’S CAPITAL CORE SECTOR PLAN AND CANADA’S CAPITAL VIEW PROTECTION GUIDELINES
The Confederation Boulevard Plan was initiated by the NCC under former chair Jean Pigott. In its vision for 2025, the NCC has adopted the Core Area Plan (2005). One of the plan’s priorities is to enhance Confederation Boulevard, Canada’s discovery route, through improved animation, linkages, and the showcasing of its institutional and cultural treasures.
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Ottawa Official Plan Annex A Canada’s Capital Views Protection (2007)
Key View #18 The plan identifies the goal of “adding to the rich legacy of capital architecture with contemporary designs of high quality providing a layered experience of historic and compatible modern forms of noble materials.” Some specific recommendations relating to the NAC are contained in Sector Plan’s Rideau Canal character area.
The plan observes that the NAC does not have a strong relationship with its adjacent streets. It recommends a façade improvement strategy along Elgin Street and the Mackenzie King Bridge. It also recommends better pedestrian linkages from the canal to Confederation Square, canal edge improvements, and a new pedestrian bridge linking the NAC to the east side of the canal (Parkin Plan).
The Canada’s Capital View Protection Policy identifies key views deserving protection and enhancement for “reading” the Capital.
Of particular relevance is View #18 (Rideau Canal to Parliament), and the view from Elgin Street looking north to the National War Memorial.
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Central Canal Area Precinct from DOUDS (2004)
CITY OF OTTAWA DOWNTOWN URBAN DESIGN STRATEGY (DOUDS)
The City of Ottawa has adopted a Downtown Urban Design Strategy (DOUDS) to guide future development in the core.
Some specific guidelines and strategies relating to the NAC, Confederation Square, and the Rideau Canal are contained in DOUDS (Central Canal Area Precinct).
These strategies recommend:
1. That NAC façade improvements be initiated to address the public realm (particularly Elgin Street and Mackenzie King Bridge);
2. That Elgin Street be “beautified” to better reflect its status as an arm of Confederation Boulevard; and
3. That the arrival sequence between Queen Elizabeth Drive and Confederation Boulevard be re-established.
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Downtown Moves Report (2013)
CITY OF OTTAWA DOWNTOWN MOVES STRATEGY (2013)
Anticipating the scheduled opening of the Confederation Line LRT system in 2018, the City of Ottawa has examined the opportunities to re-imagine the core’s city streets relieved of the Bus Transitway system.
Key initiatives of the strategy include enhancing the public realm adjacent to the NAC by improving the pedestrian environment in Confederation Square, Elgin Street, and Queen Street.
The Downtown Moves strategy also advocates creating an open-air pedestrian link over the Canal between the NAC and the Convention Centre, and improving the pedestrian and cyclist environment on Mackenzie King Bridge.
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NAC National Historic Site plaque unveiling (Jan. 29, 2013) HERITAGE CONSIDERATIONS
The National Arts Centre was recognized by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada as a National Historic Site in 2008. The National Arts Centre also plays a role in the Confederation Square National Historic Site.
The proposed NAC Architectural Rejuvenation project consists of the addition of prominent new public spaces facing Confederation Square and Elgin Street on the NAC’s existing footprint. Modifications to the existing lobbies and public amenities are also envisaged. The case for Architectural Rejuvenation is clearly articulated in the Diamond Schmitt Architects Project Brief (July 3, 2014).
The National Arts Centre has not been designated by either the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office (FHBRO) or the City of Ottawa under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act. Consequently, there is no statutory requirement for the proposed interventions to be reviewed by FHBRO or the City of Ottawa.
However, it is recognized that the NAC is clearly (de facto) one of Canada’s “historic places”. The NAC is widely acclaimed as a prominent example of “mid century modern architecture” reflecting the role of architecture in defining national identity during Canada’s centennial celebrations. (See Architecture and National Identity: The Centennial Projects 50 years on by Marco Polo and Colin Ripley - 2014).
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Given the NAC’s significant historical, architectural and contextual values, the NAC Architectural Rejuvenation Project deserves to be reviewed as if the property were formally designated, to confirm that the interventions respect the intent of the “Standards and Guidelines for Conservation of Historic Places in Canada”- Parks Canada 2010.
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board “Statement of Significance”, outlines the Heritage Value and the Character-Defining Elements that contribute to the heritage value of the National Arts Centre National Historic Site.
Heritage Value
The National Arts Centre was designated a National Historic Site of Canada because:
It is an outstanding example of a performing arts centre in Canada for its overall design, its highly successful integration into its urban setting, its succession of interior spaces to create dramatic effect, its unique combination of performing spaces and the progressive designs of each one, and its integration of contemporary works of art as part of its design.
It is an outstanding example of a building illustrating the positive consequences of Canadian federal policy on the performing arts during the second half of the 20th century, considered, in the words of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, as a "national institution".
It is an example of state-of-the-art performing spaces and technology at the time of construction, in particular for the aesthetic and technical design of Southam Hall, which is an exceptional example of a medium-sized multi-purpose auditorium representing an inspired collaboration between architect and acoustician.
The National Arts Centre was both a major cultural as well as a major architectural achievement for the country.
The structure, built in 1965-69 to designs by the architectural firm of Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold and Sise, reflects the rise of state support to the arts in the second half of the 20th century.
It was built as part of the celebrations for the one-hundredth anniversary of Confederation, and it was intended to herald the cultural achievements of the nation in the fields of the performing arts. The National Arts Centre is also a component of the Confederation Square National Historic Site of Canada.
Heritage Character-Defining Elements
The Statement of Significance identifies the following heritage character-defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the NAC National Historic Site:
1. Its current siting, in relation to the Rideau Canal, Elgin Street, Laurier Avenue, Sapper’s Bridge, and the Confederation Square national historic site of Canada;
2. Its exterior volumes, composed of a pyramidal building-up of hexagonal shapes, masses that contain the interior spaces, and open terraces and planters;
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3. The open terraces, and their role as gathering areas and as linking spaces in the larger urban context;
4. The richly treated concrete surfaces of the exterior;
5. The interior disposition of spaces, including the performance spaces, administration and prop spaces, reception spaces, halls, and public parking;
6. The finishing details, such as the types of wall and floor coverings, specially designed light fixtures, curtains, seating, sculptures, paintings, tapestries and other accoutrements especially designed for this building.
(Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Submission Report, Minutes, 2005)
Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada
The decision making process leading to the Architectural Rejuvenation proposals included an analysis of the NAC’S architectural deficiencies, new facility needs, and specific project requirements that would meet the long-term mandate and objectives of the NAC. The process also reviewed the NAC’S heritage values and character-defining elements leading to preparing and evaluating architectural concepts, and selecting the preferred concept.
It was determined that “Rehabilitation” would be the primary conservation approach. The new additions and alterations are intended to ensure that the National Arts Centre maintains its status and enhances its appeal as Canada’s premiere showcase for the performing arts.
The conservation approach to the NAC Architectural Rejuvenation proposals consistently respects the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada with one singular exception. A brief commentary on adherence of the design proposals to each of the 12 standards in the Standards and Guidelines document is outlined below:
1. Conserve the heritage value of an historic place. Do not remove, replace or substantially alter its intact or repairable character-defining elements. Do not move a part of an historic place if its current location is a character-defining element.
Observation: The proposed additions do not remove or substantially alter the existing exterior precast concrete envelope. The interior alterations conserve finishing details as much as possible and incorporate the new functional program requirements.
2. Conserve changes to an historic place that, over time, have become character-defining elements in their own right.
Observation: The building has, remarkably, experienced very few significant changes since its opening in 1969.
24 3. Conserve heritage value by adopting an approach calling for minimal intervention.
Observation: Although the primary conservation approach is “rehabilitation” the minimal intervention approach has been adopted.
4. Recognize each historic place as a physical record of its time, place and use. Do not create a false sense of historical development by adding elements from other historic places or other properties, or by combining features of the same property that never coexisted.
Observation: The proposed significant public spaces added to the north elevation are designed in an architectural vocabulary that is consistent with this standard.
5. Find a use for an historic place that requires minimal or no change to its character-defining elements.
Observation: The program of interventions is intended to assure the long-term sustainability of the purpose-built, original use of this historic place as a national performing arts centre.
6. Protect and, if necessary, stabilize an historic place until any subsequent intervention is undertaken. Protect and preserve archaeological resources in place. Where there is potential for disturbing archaeological resources, take mitigation measures to limit damage and loss of information.
Observation: The Architectural Rejuvenation Project is one component of a long-term program to stabilize and restore the NAC’s historic place.
7. Evaluate the existing condition of character-defining elements to determine the appropriate intervention needed. Use the gentlest means possible for any intervention. Respect heritage value when undertaking an intervention.
Observation: The NAC initiates Investigations and Reports (I&R) to guide its long-term strategy for conserving the building’s character-defining elements and facility infrastructure.
8. Maintain character-defining elements on an ongoing basis. Repair character-defining elements by reinforcing their materials using recognized conservation methods. Replace in kind any extensively deteriorated or missing parts of character-defining elements, where there are surviving prototypes.
Observation: The NAC initiates Investigations and Reports (I&R) to guide its long-term strategy for conserving the building’s character-defining elements and facility infrastructure.
9. Make any intervention needed to preserve character-defining elements physically and visually compatible with the historic place and identifiable on close inspection. Document any intervention for future reference.
Observation: the NAC initiates Investigations and Reports (I&R) to guide its long-term strategy for conserving the building’s character-defining elements and facility infrastructure.
25 Additional Standards Relating to Rehabilitation
10. Repair rather than replace character-defining elements. Where character-defining elements are too severely deteriorated to repair, and where sufficient physical evidence exists, replace them with new elements that match the forms, materials and detailing of sound versions of the same elements. Where there is insufficient physical evidence, make the form, material and detailing of the new elements compatible with the character of the historic place.
Observation: The NAC initiates Investigations and Reports (I&R) to guide its long-term strategy for conserving the building’s character-defining elements and facility infrastructure. The NAC has access to the archive of original construction documents and construction photos.
11. Conserve the heritage value and character-defining elements when creating any new additions to an historic place or any related new construction. Make the new work physically and visually compatible with, subordinate to, and distinguishable from the historic place.
Observation: The proposed new additions are designed to be physically and visually compatible with the character-defining elements of the original NAC architecture by employing a hexagonal planning framework, and carefully studied volumetric massing, proportions and details that draw from the heritage values of the original building.
Observation: The new additions are designed to be predominantly enclosed in glass curtain wall construction. They will be clearly distinguishable from the existing predominantly pre-cast concrete cladding, a hallmark of the original “brutalist” architecture.
Observation: The new additions are not intended to be subordinate to the existing less-than- inviting “brutalist” massing that addresses Confederation Square. The interventions are boldly intended to respond to the NAC’s vision of an open, transparent and inviting presence on Confederation Square and Elgin Street that, a half century later, meets the original NCC objective of ensuring that the NAC present a “lively” presence on Confederation Square.
12. Create any new additions or related new construction so that the essential form and integrity of an historic place will not be impaired if the new work is removed in the future.
Observation: the existing north pre-cast concrete forms will be featured within the new interior public spaces and will not be significantly impaired if the new work is removed in the future.
The NAC has indicated its commitment to be guided by the Standards and Guidelines for Conservation of Historic Places in Canada during the design development and construction document phases of the Architectural Rejuvenation project.
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NAC ARCHITECTURAL REJUVENATION: URBAN DESIGN OBJECTIVES
The key urban design objectives of the NAC Architectural Rejuvenation project are grounded in the current NCC and City of Ottawa’s urban design strategies and guidelines. The objectives also embrace significant relevant goals for the NAC, Confederation Square, and the Rideau Canal that were unrealized since the 1967 Parkin Plan was “retired”. The 12 key objectives are summarized below.
Confederation Square showing key focal points
OBJECTIVE 1. To establish a clear architectural definition to the south edge of Confederation Square so that the square can be brought “in harmony with human scale - a relationship which is lacking today.” (NCC 1964)
OBJECTIVE 2. To “contribute to the development of the whole of Confederation Square area so as to be lively and human in spirit both day and night...only a place filled with people - not one filled with cars, nor with trees - can be a living symbol of a community.” (NCC 1964)
OBJECTIVE 3. To ensure that “the centre shall not give the impression of over-dominance or lifelessness in the square …but be lively and gay in character.” (NCC 1964)
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OBJECTIVE 4. To introduce prominent new transparent gathering spaces that showcase and signal the NAC’s animated public activities when viewed from Confederation Square, Elgin Street, and the Canal.
OBJECTIVE 5. To introduce a prominent new inviting entrance off Confederation Square and create an architectural focal point at the south terminus of the historic Elgin Street diagonal axis that formally featured the tower of the second Ottawa City Hall.
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OBJECTIVE 6. To create new glazed interior public foyers and spaces facing Confederation Square that serve as all-season belvederes for viewing the iconic National Capital land-marks: Parliament Hill, the National War Memorial, the Chateau Laurier, the former Union Station, and the Rideau Canal.
OBJECTIVE 7. To introduce inviting and animated focal points on the arrival sequences to the NAC from the “Parliament” and “Rideau” LRT stations when the new Ottawa Confederation Line LRT system is inaugurated in spring 2018.
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OBJECTIVE 8. To enliven and animate views to the NAC from the Mackenzie King Bridge. (NCC Core Area Sector Plan, Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy)
OBJECTIVE 9. To enhance and animate views to the NAC from the east bank of the Rideau Canal.
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OBJECTIVE 10. To protect the integrity of the view towards Parliament from the Rideau Canal (View #18)
OBJECTIVE 11. To protect the integrity and enliven the view from Elgin Street looking north towards the National War Memorial. (NCC Core Area Sector Plan, Downtown Ottawa Urban Design Strategy
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OBJECTIVE 12. To support the urbanization of the triangle of land between the National War Memorial and the NAC to open views to the NAC and serve as Confederation Square’s premiere outdoor amphitheatre/performance space (Parkin/Massey Plan 1967).
OBJECTIVE 13. To support the introduction of a pedestrian bridge over the Rideau Canal to more closely integrate the NAC with the Ottawa Convention Centre, Rideau Centre, the Rideau LRT station and the east bank of the Rideau Canal. (Parkin/Massey Plan 1967, NCC Core Area Plan and City Downtown Moves Strategy)
CONCLUSION
The National Arts Centre Rejuvenation Project is a long overdue initiative. Its goal is to re-invent a national treasure so that it continues to be Canada’s premiere showcase for the performing arts.
The project is also a response to the shared contemporary vision for Ottawa’s urban core with its “Capital” and “Civic” personalities. The project directly reflects the emerging Canadian demand that public architecture contributes to the animation and urbanity of the public realm.
The Architectural Rejuvenation Project is a significant symbol of the evolution of Canadian values between Canada’s Centennial and the country’s upcoming 150th birthday in 2017.
32 View of Rideau Canal locks (2008)
APPENDIX A: CULTURAL HERITAGE IMPACT ON THE RIDEAU CANAL UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Parks Canada Rideau Corridor Landscape Strategy
The National Arts Centre is located immediately adjacent to the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In 2007 the World Heritage Committee recommended that following the completion of a study of the visual setting of the Canal, that “ consideration be given to strengthening its visual protection outside the [30M] buffer zone in order to ensure that the visual values are protected alongside the environmental values”.
The Landscape Character Area in which the NAC is located has been identified as Geographic Sector 1 (Central Ottawa). The visual assessment is summarized in the Parks Canada Landscape Strategy and referenced in the Parks Canada Landscape Character Area Map #1.
33
View of Downtown Ottawa Showing Rideau Canal (2011)
The visual assessment has identified the key attributes of the Canal adjacent to the NAC. These include:
1. The excavated channel within an urban, historic context;
2. The flight of locks and associated heritage buildings, views to the Parliament Buildings and the Chateau Laurier;
3. The Rideau Canal Pathway, Colonel By Drive and associated green space;
4. The bridges and views to the Canal from them;
5. The Rideau Skateway and Winterlude.
Key views identified in Landscape Character Area Map 1 include views north from the Laurier Ave Bridge and views east from the National Arts Centre.
The Cultural Landscape in the subject area is deemed to possess a high sensitivity depending on the scale of the (re) development proposed.
34 City of Ottawa Official Plan: 1.7 The Canal
The City of Ottawa objectives for the Canal Character Area include enhancing its historic open space attributes, protecting its features consistent with the City’s Greenway System Policies and promoting enjoyment of the waterway corridor.
The City’s policies include:
1. Promoting development compatible with the Canal’s unique environment that is low to medium profile, respects significant views, particularly those of the Parliament Buildings and other significant resources and minimizes potential vehicular impacts on predominantly pedestrian-oriented areas;
2. Promoting a year-round focus for ceremonial and leisure activities;
3. Promoting and ensuring protection of heritage resources, particularly the Rideau Canal Waterway;
4. Supporting enhanced and safe pedestrian and cycle access to the Canal Locks;
5. Promoting improvement in the visual quality and distinctive image of the open spaces around existing institutional buildings;
6. Improving pedestrian movement across Confederation Square and better access to the Canal edge;
7. Developing a multi level pedestrian promenade along the Canal edges from Wellington to Somerset Street (DOUDS).
City of Ottawa Official Plan 4.6 Cultural Heritage Resources
The City of Ottawa development approval process outlined in the Official Plan requires consideration of cultural heritage resources including the Rideau Canal Corridor, Scenic Entry Routes and Multi-use pathways. The process is to ensure that the interventions respect the heritage character of the resource, minimize the loss of landscaped open space, and ensuring that parking is compatibly integrated into heritage areas.
35 National Arts Centre Architectural Rejuvenation Project: Brief Description
A conceptual design for the NAC Architectural Rejuvenation Project has been prepared by Diamond Schmitt Architects (January 26, 2015).
The architectural design addresses the major challenges faced by the NAC to hold its audiences, attract new patrons, showcase and produce exceptional performances, provide a total visitor experience that is memorable and engage more directly with the urban context of Canada’s Capital. The NAC, a state-of-the-art performance facility when it opened in 1969, is being found by its critics and patrons in need of rejuvenation.
The Architectural Rejuvenation Project is bold and seeks to meet the NAC’s major challenges. The architectural proposals include:
1. A new glazed entrance at the NW corner of the existing building off Elgin Street at the intersection of Queen Street to create a visible welcoming entrance from Confederation Square, a feature consciously omitted from the original architectural design;
2. New glazed public foyers and meeting spaces along the north façade of the NAC to animate Confederation Square and create public all season gathering places with views to the War Memorial and other National symbols;
3.New glazing along Elgin Street to animate the street’s pedestrian experience and showcase the presence of the Fourth Stage;
4. Interior alterations including new ticketing areas, dining areas and washrooms to improve the attractiveness of the NAC’s public amenities;
5. A new vehicular layby on the east side of Elgin Street to provide patrons with a convenient drop-off adjacent to the new entrance;
6. Constructing the glazed architectural additions directly on the footprint of the under-used existing outdoor terraces that form the roof of the underground parking garage.
7. Relocating the existing vehicular drop-off area and short term parking in front of the existing Rideau Canal entrance eastward to accommodate an expansion of the existing entrance foyer.
8. Introducing universal barrier free access from Elgin street to the NAC foyers and performance spaces as well as the adjacent outdoor terraces facing the Rideau Canal.
36
Rideau Canal Skateway (2014)
National Arts Centre Architectural Rejuvenation Project: Cultural Heritage Impact
In assessing the impact of the proposed interventions on the cultural heritage values of the Rideau Canal Landscape Character Area 1, it was found that the proposed Architectural Rejuvenation Project (with a minor exception) does not negatively impact the highly sensitive cultural heritage landscape of this part of the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site.
The proposed relocation of the short term parking element into the 30M Canal buffer zone at the existing main entrance does constitute a negative impact which can be mitigated by the introduction of a discreet landscaped buffer to screen the view of this visual intrusion from the Canal corridor.
The identity of Landscape Character Area 1 is forcefully defined by its existing architecture, a dictionary of eclectic styles including the Chateau Laurier (Chateau Style); The East Block (Gothic Revival); the former Union Station (Beaux Arts Classic); the Transportation building (Chicago School Gothic Revival); The Westin Hotel (Modern High Rise); the Ottawa Convention Centre (International Style Revival); DND Headquarters (Modern High Rise) and the National Arts Centre (modern Brutalism).
37 The future visual appearance of the NAC with its new balance of solids and voids will reflect and contribute to the diversity and complexity of architectural styles that define the character of the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site.
The proposed NAC architectural interventions consciously draw from and complement the hexagonal geometry, the scale and proportions of the original “brutalist” building while conserving its unique and recognizable identity in the cultural heritage landscape.
The predominant use of glass for the new interventions will provide a transparent and welcoming counterpoint to the bold but unrelieved precast concrete exterior that is the hallmark of the NAC’s “brutalist” character when viewed from the Rideau Canal Corridor.
The NAC Architectural Rejuvenation project will positively impact the cultural heritage landscape of this part of the Rideau Canal by enhancing the NAC as a public destination on the canal, animating the precinct, improving universal access to the Canal edge and providing new opportunities for enhanced viewing of the Rideau Canal World Heritage Site.
Rideau Canal Skateway (2012)
38
REFERENCES
Contemporary Sources National Capital Commission. Canada's Capital Core Area Sector Plan. Rep. N.p., 30 June 2005. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Parks Canada. Rideau Corridor Landscape Strategy. Rep. 2013. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.
39 Samulewitz, Hans. "Model Photographs." Letter to Mr. H. E. Kidd. 18 July 1964. MS. 271 Colonia Avenue, Chateauguay, Quebec. "City Planner Praises Location for Arts Centre." Ottawa Journal 2 Sept. 1964. Print. Matthew, Robert H. "National Centre for the Performing Arts Project." Letter to Her Worship the Mayor. 19 Aug. 1964. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Southam, G. H. "Greenery on Confederation Square Site." Letter to J. A. Langford. 6 Nov. 1964. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Collins, A. J. M. "Letters to the Editor: Criticism of the Plans to Fill up Open Spaces." Ottawa Citizen Nov. 1964. Print. Southam, G. H. "Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts." Letter to Mr. Frank Ayers. 16 Nov. 1964. MS. 140 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Ontario. Southam, G. H. "NCC Planning and Development Meeting." Letter to Messrs. Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold & Sise. 17 Nov. 1964. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Southam, G. H. "Coordination between Mr. Lebensold's Plans for the Centre and Mr. Hart Massey's Plans for Confederation Square." Letter to Lt. Gen. S. F. Clark. 18 Nov. 1964. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Dumsday, W. H. "Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts - Sod-Turning Ceremony." Letter to The Minister. 1 Dec. 1964. MS. Robinson, W. H. "Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts." Letter to Mr. G. H. Southam. 10 Dec. 1964. MS. Department of Public Works, Ottawa, Ontario. Southam, G. H. "Response to Ottawa Citizen Editorial of 9 December." Letter to the Editor of the Ottawa Citizen. 10 Dec. 1964. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Clark, S. F., Lt. Gen. "Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts Re: Lease of Property." Letter to Mr. J. R. Baldwin. 22 Dec. 1964. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Southam, G. H. "Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts: The Site Controversy." Letter to The Secretary of State. 22 Dec. 1964. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Pearson, Lester B., "Centre for the Performing Arts Choice of Location." Letter to Mr. J. T. Richard. 31 Dec. 1964. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Pearson, Lester B. "Centre for the Performing Arts Choice of Location." Letter to Mr. Paul Tardif. 31 Dec. 1964. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. National Capital Commission. Memorandum: Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts. 22 December 1964. Southam, G. H. "Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts." Letter to Mr. Gordon Robertson. 14 Jan. 1965. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Clark, S. F., Lt. Gen. "Siting of Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts and the Parkin Plan." Letter to Mr. J. R. Baldwin. 15 Jan. 1965. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Collins, A. J. M. "Objections to Chosen Site for the Performing Arts Centre." Letter to Mr. G. H. Southam. 16 Jan. 1965. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Cole, H. G. "Architect's Presentation of the Exterior Design and Proposed Landscaping Scheme." Letter to Mr. D. L. McDonald. 15 Feb. 1965. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Kidd, H. E. "Statement by Lebensold." Letter to Mr. W. H. Dumsday. 8 Mar. 1965. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Southam, G. H. "City Sqaures." Letter to Prof. John A. Russell. 6 Apr. 1965. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Langford, J. A. "Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts." Letter to Mr. F. Lebensold. 26 Apr. 1965. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. National Capital Commission. Minutes of Meeting of the Design, Traffic, Parking and Engineering Committee of the National Capital Commission. 13 July 1965. National Capital Commission. Minutes of Meeting re: Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts, Design Committee of the N.C.C. 5 July 1965. Cole, H. G. "Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts Re: Meeting of the Design, Traffic, Parking and Engineering Committee of the NCC." Letter to Messrs. Affleck, Desbarats, Dimakopoulos, Lebensold & Sise. 22 July 1965. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. McDonald, D. L. "Canadian Centre for the Performing Arts Re: Exterior Finishes and Relationship to National Museum." Letter to Mr. J. A. Langford. 19 July 1965. MS. Ottawa, Ontario. Schechner, Richard. "The Bands of Change. An Interview with Fred Lebensold." The Drama Review: TDR 12.3, Architecture/Environment (1968): 165-67. JSTOR. Web. 17 Nov. 2014.
40 Illustrations 1. Ottawa Citizen UPI staff photo. Lebensold Presenting to Langford and Southam. Confederation Room, West Block. March 1,1965. Architecture and National Identity, 2014. NAC Archives. Print. 2. Canadian Aerial Photo Corporation. Aerial view of Ottawa, 5h2-0645. 2010. Ottawa. Print. 3. Brosius, Herm. Bird’s eye view of the City of Ottawa, Canada, Province Ontario. 1876. Ottawa. Ottawa in Map. Ottawa: Information Canada, 1974. 27. Print. 4. Topley, William James. Elgin and Wellington Street from Peace Tower c. 1930. Library and Archives Canada. N.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. http://www.pastottawa.com/tag/topley/213/ 5. Topley, William James. Second City Hall, Ottawa. c. 1930. Library and Archives Canada. N.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2014. 41 25. NAC under Construction. 1966. NAC Archives. Print. 26. Wladyslaw. Ottawa – ON – National Arts Centre. Wikimedia Commons. 14 May 2009. Web. 7 Nov 2014. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ottawa_-_ON_-_National_Arts_Centre.jpg 27. Brandon, Steve.View from War Memorial. Flickr. 27 January 2007. Web. 24 Nov 2014. https://www.flickr.com/photos/steve- brandon/381447142/ 28. Environmentl Canada. National Arts Centre. N.d. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-arts-centre/ 29. Downtown Ottawa Showing Confederation Boulevard Plan. Digital image. Web. 06 Nov. 2014. 42