Project name
Richmond Landing Shoreline Access - Phase 1
Proponent
National Capital Commission
Architect
Landscape Architect: Groupe Rousseau Lefebvre
Lighting designer
Bruce Meiklejohn
Project description
Richmond Landing is located on the Ottawa River, on the east side of the Portage Bridge. This universally accessible public site hosts the Royal Canadian Navy Monument and the Navy Wake, and can be reached by both land and water. Access from the water is provided by a docking facility used primarily by a water taxi service, which connects the site with the Hull Marina and the Ottawa Locks on the Rideau Canal, adjacent to Parliament Hill.
The site is a promontory jutting into the Ottawa River, a quiet oasis in the urban heart of the Capital. As visitors descend at night from the edge of the Portage Bridge toward the Navy Monument, the city street lights diminish, and the pathways and site elements are illuminated by evocative low-level lighting, creating a serene visitor experience. LED lighting bollards have been installed along the access pathways. The light is focused toward the ground to avoid light spill toward the sky, which can create glare and disturb migrating birds. Downward-focused strip lighting is used for safety and guidance along the stairs, under the bench and on the dock gangway. Solar-powered marine light beacons mark the perimeter of the dock, while
lighting along the shoreline is focused away from the water to avoid disturbances to marine life. The colour temperature of the light provides a warm white tint.
The project was completed in 2018.