2007 Niagara Community Design Awards - Winners
This is the third year of the Design Awards. The objective of the Niagara Community Design Awards is to recognize and celebrate excellence in community design in the Niagara Region. This year's awards will continue to focus on projects that enhance the built environment, efficiently use land, and demonstrate creativity and vision.
Award Winners
Leadership
The Leadership and Legacy Award was separated this year in an attempt to recognize those people who have acted as leaders and those pivotal projects that have helped set the bar for development projects in Niagara. This award recognizes an individual or group that has acted as a pioneer in the Niagara community in achieving good community design and the smart growth principles. The works or deeds attributed to this person, group or project can be used as examples for others and benefit not only a specific area, but the larger Niagara community.
2007 Award Winner: Phil Ritchie, Keefer Developments Inc.
In 2001 Phil founded Keefer Developments Ltd, and put together a plan to acquire control of a 17 acre parcel of brownfield and heritage properties in the core area of the City of Thorold. The award winning $10 million redevelopment includes town homes, a mixed use affordable housing & commercial development (Welland Mills), the world's largest book warehouse (Book Depot), and a 10 room boutique inn (The Keefer Mansion Inn, opened Feb 2006). Phil has been involved with the St. Catharines / Thorold Chamber of Commerce and sat as a member of the Smarter Niagara Steering Committee for a number of years. He continues to build projects that reflect the Smart growth principles.
Small Scale Project
This award recognizes an infill or redevelopment project that is smaller in scale or nature that demonstrates excellence in design. The size of such a project should generally be under three stories in height and 0.5 ac (0.2 ha) in size. This project creatively and effectively uses the site, is complimentary to the existing surroundings, and intensifies or provides additional choice within the area.
2007 Award Winner: Wood field Lane, St. Catharines
Nominated / Builder: Anthony Continelli, Premium Building Group
Architect: Joseph Colonna, Joseph Colonna Architect Inc.
Nominator: Lucy Continelli, Premium Building Group
Woodfield Lane is an eight unit townhouse project that makes use of a long narrow parcel made more workable through land assembly. The development offers three designs that provide visual articulation along the street, adds housing choice in a higher density form than the existing neighborhood yet still complements the surroundings, effectively uses the adjacent parkland, and locates development in an existing area well served by services such as transit and servicing.
Large Scale Project
This award recognizes an infill or redevelopment project that is larger in scale or nature that demonstrates excellence in design. This project creatively and effectively uses land, is complimentary to the existing surroundings, and intensifies and provides additional choice within the area.
2007 Award Winner: Genesis Court Affordable Housing, St. Catharines
Nominated: Harald Ensslen, MacDonald Zuberec Ensslen Architects Inc,
Development Consultant: Richard Halverson, Just Shelter Real Estate,
Engineering (mechanical and electrical): Dave Stacey,Harp Engineering and Design Inc
Engineering (structural): Tom Yung, Lee Yung and Associates Inc
Construction Management: Steven Rochefort, Kenmore Management
Nominator: Paul Chapman, City of St. Catharines.
Genesis Court reused an underutilized section of downtown St. Catharines to create forty low income affordable apartment units (including 1, 2 and 3 bedroom units as well as some accessible units). The development compliments the surrounding historic houses, provides well-designed higher density affordable housing in an area well served by existing services; features a private park space for residents, and incorporates several environmentally friendly features.
Adaptive Re-use Award
This award recognizes the re-use of an existing building or buildings, and possible intensification of a site. The primary feature of this project is the re-use of the former building(s) in a manner that demonstrates creativity, reintegrates the site into the community, and provides a mix of uses and choice into the surrounding neighbourhood.
2007 Award Winner:: Riverbend Inn and Vineyard, Niagara on the Lake
Nominated: John Wiens, Riverbend Inn
Designer: Mark Edwards, Edwards Designs
Nominator: Rainer Hummel, Telecon Datvox Inc.
Previously the lands and buildings have been used for farming, an estate, a school, apartments, art gallery and museum and more recently was vacant. Today Riverbend Inn and Vineyard is a twenty-one unit hotel, award winning restaurant and banquet facilities surrounded by landscaping and vineyards. The development features buildings that have been restored and rehabilitated, new buildings, and the addition of vines. In all, the site has been intensified, brought back into productive purpose that provides a mixture of economic interests to the area, and the buildings themselves demonstrate a high quality of renovation.
Brownfield
This award recognizes the revitalization of a former brownfield site into one that once again integrates with the fabric of the community. The Brownfield award differs from Adaptive Re-use, as the focus of this project involves site examination, any required remediation and redevelopment. The winning project demonstrates the smart growth principles through creativity, utilization of existing servicing, creation of a mix and/or intensification of uses, and integration with the surroundings.
2007 Award Winner: The Old Winery, Niagara on the Lake
Nominated: Rainer Hummel, St. David's Investments
Architect: Lara Brodsky, Larisa Brodsky Architect
Engineering: Jim Denham, Denco Engineering
Builder / Nominator : Alfred Dyck, St. David's Investments.
This former winery, manufacturing and more recently commercial building was renovated and contaminants were removed. In the process of redevelopment the ground floor of the building was excavated and renovated to provide additional units. The result is a four unit commercial complex. The development effectively revitalized a prominent building, reintegrating it within the fabric of the community; added a variety of uses into the existing community; and built upon the features of the site through landscaping and placing a patio overlooking one mile creek.
Legacy Award
This award recognizes projects completed within the last twenty-five years that provide a lasting example of good community design. The works or deeds attributed to this person, group or project can be used as examples for others and benefit not only a specific area, but the larger Niagara community.
2007 Award Winner: Len Pennachetti and his team for the revitalization of Jordan Village, Lincoln
In 1987, a start-up winery moved into a rented space in the old Jordan Winery Building. In 1990, the Pennachetti family purchased an 80,000 sq. ft. building, and so begins the story of the village's transformation. The redevelopment has revitalized many existing buildings within the village to create Cave Spring Cellars, On The Twenty Restaurant, rental space for commercial tenants, guest accommodation (Inn on the Twenty, converted residences which house additional guest rooms, Jordan House Hotel), Spa On The Twenty, and Jordan House Tavern. Jordan Estates, a 31 unit block townhouse condominium, is scheduled for construction in the spring of 2008. Len and his team's leadership role in transforming a tiny village into a mixed use, walkable tourist attraction with well placed landscaping that enhances and creates a unique sense of place stands as a lasting testament of what can be done.
(All photos courtesy of nominated, except Legacy.)
Congratulations to all of our 2007 Niagara Community Design Award Winners!
Awards Review Committee:
Richard Baker - Retired, Niagara Society of Architects
Glenn Barr - President, Barr Associates
Dr. Hugh Gayler - Professor, Brock University
John Gittings - Partner, Philbrick and Gittings Construction Services Inc.
Douglas McNaughton - Commercial Sales Rep., Royal LePage Niagara Real Estate Centre
Bryan Morris - Planner, City of St. Catharines
Barbara Wiens - Planner, Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake
Advisors:
Alan Gummo - Senior Policy co-ordination Planner, Niagara Region Planning Department
Mark Brickell - Vice-President of Smart Growth Initiatives, Niagara Economic Development Corporation
Co-ordinator:
Terri Donia - Planner, Niagara Region Planning Department
