CENTRETOWN BUZZ, By Heather McArthur

In early February, the architects for Larco Investment Ltd. quietly unveiled a revised proposal for expansion of the iconic Château Laurier Hotel.

On February 28, a public open house was hosted at City Hall. An odd affair, to say the least. The event featured one-way communication from the proponent and City planners to the public. There was no public forum for discussion or debate, nor opportunity to publicly ask questions of the architects or owner representatives.

The open house came at the end of a prolonged and seemingly ineffective closed consultation process.

Namely, Larco engaged with a City-appointed Heritage Working Committee, composed of heritage conservation specialists, and City staff in developing the revised design. Regrettably, the architectural response to the Working Committee’s input misses the mark.

The latest proposal is only superficially different from earlier iterations and now consists of a single horizontal eight-storey structure (down from 12 storeys), with a flat roof and an exterior unarticulated skin of steel and glass.

The redesign does offer some enhancements. The addition of semi-public uses (such as meeting rooms) on the main floor, the reduced overall height and the stepped transition at the upper floors are important improvements.

Its glass screens, enveloped by a white steel exo-skeleton, are elegant and stylish. This panache has its place in contemporary design. But that place is not here. Not at the intersection of this iconic hotel and its historically significant context.

The proof in adding a contemporary layer is whether it respects the existing sense of place, without disrupting it in negative ways. Some of the important values associated with the Château Laurier include its château-style design, its material palette (predominantly stone), its picturesque silhouette, characterized by steep-pitched roofs, and its relationship to its nationally significant context, both aesthetic and cultural.

The latest design proposal — a monolithic horizontal mass — continues to demonstrate only a shallow understanding of these values. Namely, there remains a near-complete lack of dialogue with the picturesque character of the Château and its nationally significant setting.

Consideration of this proposal is not just an issue of better design, but of effective and meaningful community input to the approval process. The proposed addition to the Château Laurier will be the most important heritage application to come before this session of Ottawa City Council.

Getting it right is not merely a question of addressing the aesthetic or built character of the historic hotel; it also requires addressing the distinctive and complex relationship between this building and its environment.

Sitting at the intersection of local and national landscapes, linked historically and thematically to other (former) CNR hotels across the nation, a gateway to Ottawa the storied lumbertown and Ottawa the national capital, the Château is an icon of local and national significance for Ottawans, dignitaries and tourists alike.

This project will only succeed when the values associated with this historic hotel are protected (through a meaningful approval process) and enhanced (through a design that respects the unique sense of place). This building and the people of Ottawa deserve nothing less.

If you didn’t get a chance to submit your comments online during the abbreviated public feedback period, there is still opportunity to share your thoughts directly with your councillor and the mayor. Ultimately, they will vote on the approval of this proposal.

Heather McArthur is an architect and former Vice-Chair of the Ottawa Built Heritage Advisory Committee.