Our city is looking good and it is partly because of these 11 winners of the 2013 Mayor's Urban Design Awards.
Design, architecture and landscaping are an important aspect of great cities. Well-designed spaces are typically the most welcoming, sustainable, safe and accessible. To highlight the importance of good design the City of Calgary holds the biennal Mayor's Urban Design Awards (MUDA).
The 2013 winners were announced on November 6 and represent design ideas, recently completed projects and new ones that are still taking shape.
Community Improvement Projects
Day of Service – Victoria Park Business Revitalization Zone by Victoria Park Business Revitalization Zone together with the Faculty of Environmental Design at the University of Calgary.
On September 29, 2012, more than 75 students from the University of Calgary Faculty of Environmental Design (EVDS) volunteered to put their stamp on a pop-up park in Victoria Park. The park began as an effort to take a derelict construction site and turn it into a public asset. The EVDS volunteers added six custom-designed benches designed by Guy Gardner and Jason Johnson. Their work took place as part of the first annual Green Apple Day of Service.
Conceptual/Theoretical Urban Design Projects
Building Iconomy: Possibilities for a Brutalist Building by d.talks Calgary & Nyhoff Architecture Inc
d.talks provide a forum to have a conversation about design and the built environment in Calgary. On September 5, 2013, d.talks hosted an event called "Building Iconomy: Possibilities for a Brutalist Building" to examine brutalist architecture in Calgary and the possibilities these buildings present. A prime example of this is the former Catholic Board of Education building that stands five storeys tall in the middle of a site that is slated for redevelopment. d.talks spent a month examining how the building can be adapted and preserved in future plans.
Civic Design Projects
EEEL (Energy, Environment, Experiential Learning) by DIALOG & Perkins + Will. Landscape Design by O2 Planning + Design.
The EEEL is a new undergraduate and teaching facility on the edge of the University of Calgary campus. The five-storey building was designed around a central staircase, which provides an abundance of natural light and student space. It includes classrooms, theatres, laboratories and research spaces. The building received a LEED Platinum Certification.
For a complete list of winners visit Avenue Magazine's online blog.