Heritage Ottawa is pleased to be hosting an exhibit of designs for an addition to the Château Laurier created by students at Carleton University’s Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism.

OUTSIDE THE BOX – An Exhibition of Alternative Designs for an Addition to the Château Laurier

WHEN:   Saturday, December 8, 2018 – 11:00 am to 4:00 pm
                     Sunday, December 9, 2018  –  10:00 am to 4:00 pm

WHERE: Hintonburg Community Centre, Laroche Room, 1064 Wellington Street West, Ottawa

From the moment the first version was unveiled in the fall of 2016, the proposed addition to the Château Laurier Hotel proved to be one of the most controversial architectural projects that Ottawa has seen. The project poses difficult questions. How does one make a new addition to a century-old building with such a distinctive architectural character? How much should the new resemble or echo the old, and how much should it depart from it? How do we honour the past, while still making our own contribution to the future? Working under the supervision of Professor Mariana Esponda, the students were tasked with envisioning an addition to the Château Laurier that would have a “dialogue” with the historic and iconic hotel.

Although the student assignment is not constrained by the same parameters that are guiding the current addition to the Château Laurier, this challenge nonetheless lies at the heart of the project. In response, the students have produced a remarkable array of drawings, models and plans, all of which will be on display at the exhibition.

Heritage Ottawa invites the public to attend this free Exhibition, view the designs and meet the students who created them.

Let’s take this opportunity to reinvigorate the public conversation not only about the Château Laurier, but about the broader issue of keeping heritage buildings vital and viable in our city.