The 2024 edition of the Student Ideas Competition for the National Capital Region was launched during winter 2023. Participants had until the end of March 2024 to present their submission.
The Urban Design Challenge invited students from across Canada to come up with innovative planning and design ideas for the LeBreton Flats Park District situated in the heart of the National Capital Region.
The challenge:
This urban design challenge emphasized the preservation and enhancement of natural spaces within the Park District while creating vibrant destinations through thoughtful placemaking. Additionally, it focused on providing seamless urban access to nature and the Capital Pathway network for residents and visitors, building upon its importance to the Algonquin people, its historical significance and future potential.
Winning design
Team: Leah Dykstra, Nvar Ali and Chloe Bullen
School: Queen's University
The Living Landscape
This design concept is guided by three themes: strengthening connections, embracing cultural heritage and establishing community.
- Pathways: Both existing and new pathways will be enhanced and developed to improve safety and encourage year-round use of the site and surrounding areas. This will create fluid connections to the Pimisi and Bayview stations, the Capital Pathway, and nearby landmarks and parks.
- Aqueduct to Nepean Inlet connection: The restoration of the aqueduct to the inlet will honour the site’s industrial history. It will be enriched with indigenous plants and trees to preserve its natural features, creating a small oasis along the water’s edge.
- Recreational hub: The hub will feature a playground enclosed by a skating rink that can be adapted for seasonal use. There will be pickleball and basketball courts, washrooms, changing rooms, bike racks, and a cafe to cater to visitors' needs.
- Multi-use space: Programmable structures will accommodate activities such as yoga and other recreational activities like frisbee and picnics.
- Indigenous gathering space: To celebrate the site’s Algonquin heritage, an Indigenous gathering space will be a focal point of the park. It will provide a space for gathering, education, and sharing of Algonquin language and traditions.
Runners-up
Team: Ethan Thomas and Gianluca Ongaro
School: Laurentian University's McEwen School of Architecture
LeBreton Flats Park District
The vision for this proposal was centred on creating a vibrant, accessible and community-focused space that included:
- Watersports and ecology centre: Via the Nepean Inlet on the Ottawa River.
- Labyrinth walk: Ingeniously crafted for recreation and offering a novel and interactive way to enjoy nature.
- Follies: Scattered throughout the site, numerous follies beckon visitors to explore their unique designs, each providing picturesque views of Parliament, the Ottawa River and the park.
- Outdoor amphitheatre: Crafted to harmonize with Ottawa’s vibrant culture and constructed sustainably, with a connection to the Algonquin Nation through its curved-wood design, suggesting a turtle shell.
Jury
A jury of interdisciplinary planning, urbanism, landscape architecture, design and site management professionals reviewed the submissions and selected the competition winners:
Past editions
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