David Staples wrote this week how Edmonton might use narrow lots to go about increasing the density of it's mature neighbourhoods. http://bit.ly/PXgs2t This proposed solution looks very different than the pictures posted about a week earlier in the journal. If you missed it, these were photos showing front facing suburban style garages, and they had Group2's Barry Johns quickly responding in the opinions page. http://bit.ly/RK2zCZ

First of all, the argument for density is made many times over by others, ie. http://www.urbandesign.org/density.html But it really hits home after the snowstorms this week, where more dense, walkable communities means fewer cars on the roads to idle in traffic and cause accidents.

A couple solutions presented by Tegan Martin-Drysdale of Red Brick are far from the suburban garage idea so feared by the neighbourhoods. She rightly points out that such housing types are not going be adopted overnight, but they are excellent precedents to start change in motion. her article can be found here: http://redbrickinc.ca/?p=120

One thing to add, would be to highlight the proximity and relationship of the living quarters to the street, and imagine how that changes the 'feel' of the street. In each of the precedents, the public areas, (or the areas where guests are welcome) are pushed to the front of the house, to fairly close proximity to the street. This gives a human face (perhaps literally) to the house, and thereby it increases safety by having more eyes on the street. This in turn influences how 'welcome' a neighbourhood feels – regardless of where the garage is.

photo credit:Greenfab via: redbrick [ CLOSE ]

“Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings.”

Jane Jacobs in the Death and Life of Great American Cities

The Ukrainian Canadian Archives & Museum of Alberta is a blend of both new and old, and nowhere will this be more evident than through the original brick walls. Unsurprisingly, a project re-purposing a building as old as this old hotel is a challenging proposition.

Commonly over time, buildings are adapted to new uses - windows are filled in, and walls are changed. Occasionally one has to be a detective, but the changes are often evident, even years after. One of many such changes to this building was where the basement was dug under the original hotel, long after it was built. As you might imagine, this did not enhance the structural integrity of the building. In fact, it made retaining one of the central brick walls very difficult. Adding to the degree of difficulty is that the wall was hollow, from the basement up to the roof - 4 floors above. The wall had actually functioned as a chimney, and was in poor shape.

The solution was to remove sections of the bricks, build in reinforcement and pour concrete. This had to be done one section at a time. If concrete was simply poured from the top, the pressure would blow out the brick at the bottom. Not to mention that the wall was no longer supported by the original structure. The Delnor crew (very safely) reinforced the wall back to the remainder of the building, and section by section, rebuilt the wall from the bottom, all the while filling it with concrete. The final result is a much stronger brick wall that will serve as the central corner to the new gallery spaces and be a feature at the main entrance.
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The Toronto contingent from Perkins + Will has been in Edmonton recently – remaining involved in the regular reviews of the rapidly expanding structure on the south side of Edmonton. After some early challenges due to significant water presence on site, construction on the Meadows rec centre continues to move swiftly.

The exciting activity recently has been centred on lifting one of the main scuppers into place. Three cranes performed a precise ballet, coordinating to install the giant prefabricated piece and its supporting structure. The scupper, 18,000lbs, and large enough to stand in, will collect and direct all of the water from the green roof over the library.

All of the Glulam beams (laminated wood) are wrapped in white tarpaulin to protect them against damage and weather, but they will eventually be exposed, and will be visible to the interior as a visible expression of the structure.
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