Hintonburg Place Plaza
Location: Hintonburg Neighbourhood, Ottawa / Completed 2020
Client: Colizza Bruni Architecture
Partners: Wellington West Business Improvement Area / Ottawa Community Housing / Hintonburg Community Association / City of Ottawa / Association of Municipalities of Ontario
Project Objectives:
- Form a community partnership to transform the Northeast Corner of Wellington Street West & Parkdale Avenue from its current cluttered, haphazard state into a beautiful, usable small (150 m2) public space for the community.
- Ensure new space is open, welcoming, and creates a friendly “pocket park” sized gathering and event venue for visitors, shoppers, and residents – with improved sightlines between Parkdale Market and Wellington Street West.
- Create a unique neighbourhood attraction at a major intersection that serves to brand and differentiate the Hintonburg neighbourhood.
- Provide shade trees.
- (Future) Add way-finding signage, community bulletin board, and additional public art elements.
Studio Red was retained by prime consultant Colizza Bruni Architecture to assist in this community endeavour of placemaking.
“The design playfully scatters 10 brightly coloured letters of various sizes at the corner of Wellington and Parkdale. Some letters are upright, and some are not, akin to the toys strewn on the floor of child’s room … in disarray but mirthful. Because it is not obvious that the letters spell the word HINTONBURG – a bit of a puzzle, the audience of people in their cars and pedestrians waiting for the traffic lights to change, are invited to participate in solving the puzzle … to become engaged with their surroundings.” James Colizza – CBA
The project titled “Genius Loci” won an Award of Merit at the 2021 City of Ottawa Urban Design Awards.
