[Ottawade]

I was reading through this months Carleton Alumni Magazine when this article caught my eye:

http://magazine.carleton.ca/2008_Winter/photos/on-the-waterfront.jpg
(Magazine.carleton.ca Winter 2008 Issue)

On the Waterfront (http://magazine.carleton.ca/2008_Winter/2003.htm)

It discusses two new buildings going on campus. The first facing the river and the other the Canal. Finally people are starting to realize that Carleton campus is lacking a good showpieces and that there are some amazing natural resources that border campus. As someone with office space in what is currently the newest Carleton building I really hope they do some thoughtful planning of the interior for these new buildings as well. Both should be finished 2010 and are unrelated to the residence building currently under construction.

Note that its worth checking out the entire issue (http://magazine.carleton.ca/) as almost every article is related to architecture including some of the ones only found in the A-Z section (http://magazine.carleton.ca/2008_Winter/headline_summary.htm) such as "Happy Places"

[AylmerOptimist]

Finaly!

:)

[waterloowarrior]

site plan application
http://app01.ottawa.ca/postingplans/appDetails.jsf?lang=en&appId=__6AD941

too bad this takes up greenspace instead of a surface parking lot. oh well.

oh yeah, the building is 7 storeys tall

[Renaissance Dandy]

It will apparently house Journalism, International Affairs and Public Administration. Nice that some of Carleton's flagship programs are getting a flagship building, especially as other schools introduce competitor programs.

[Ottawade]

Looks like one of the two buildings is on permanent hold:

Carleton shelves plans for showpiece 'river building'

Drop in pension valuations from $850M to $650M prompts decision to delay project

BY JOANNE LAUCIUS, THE OTTAWA CITIZENDECEMBER 23, 2008


A plan to build a new home for programs in Carleton University's faculty of public affairs has fallen victim to the global economic crunch.

Last week, the university's board of governors approved a plan for the $30.4-million 96,000-square-foot "canal building" to be constructed between the Mackenzie Building and Colonel By Drive to house a number of engineering programs.

But the university also indefinitely shelved a plan for a companion project, the 140,000-square-foot showpiece "river building," which was to be constructed between the Steacie Building and the Rideau River and provide much-needed space for programs in the faculty of public affairs, which include journalism, communications and the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

Carleton president Roseann Runte said yesterday that while funds for the canal building are in place, money will still have to be raised for the river building. The project's lead architect is Toronto-based Raymond Moriyama, whose work includes the Ontario Science Centre and the Canadian War Museum.

Carleton realized that the project would have to be put on hold after receiving its pension plan valuations, Ms. Runte said. Last week, Carleton's vice-president of finance and administration, Duncan Watt, said the university's $850-million pension fund has dwindled to $650 million.

University endowment funds and pension plans across the province have taken a hit in this fall's market meltdown. On Friday, the president of the Council of Ontario Universities asked a provincial finance committee for regulatory relief on pension plans to help alleviate "enormous pressure" on operating budgets and to help reduce the magnitude of cuts being anticipated on campuses, including job cuts.

Paul Genest warned the committee that obligations would hobble Ontario's university system. As of Oct. 31, the province's 19 universities had annual pension obligations of $564 million. At the same time, the annual operating grant for all the universities from the provincial government is $3 billion, he said.

"Pension obligations have to be funded out of operating budgets. Under the current scenario, close to 20 per cent of what the government provides would have to go to supporting our pension obligations," he told the finance committee.

Construction of Carleton's canal building is still set to begin in March and the building is slated for completion by September 2010.

Ms. Runte said there is no estimate for when the river building will go ahead. The university is already involved in fundraising for the project, but doesn't have any of the money yet, she said.

"I promised them that we would put it off," Ms. Runte said of a meeting she had with the staff of programs that make up the faculty of public affairs. "But I promised them we would build it."

From the Ottawa Citizen: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Business/Carleton+shelves+plans+showpiece+river+building/1106886/story.html

[waterloowarrior]

Carleton brass approve design of ambitious ‘river building’
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Carleton+brass+approve+design+ambitious+river+building/1432483/story.html
Despite setbacks, fundraising has already begun

BY JOANNE LAUCIUS, THE OTTAWA CITIZENMARCH 26, 2009 11:30 PM


OTTAWA-Carleton University’s board of governors has approved the final design of a landmark building that is to straddle University Drive facing the Rideau River.

Plans to build the “river building,” set to become a new home for programs in Carleton University’s Faculty of Public Affairs, were shelved indefinitely in December because of the global economic crunch.

Fundraising for the project, however, has already begun, and Carleton president Roseann Runte said the university has applied for funding for the project as part of federal and provincial infrastructure funding announcements.

Thursday evening, architect Jason Moriyama presented final designs for the building, to be constructed between the Steacie Building and the Rideau River.

Besides classrooms and meeting rooms, the 145,000-square-foot building will also feature a three-storey atrium that looks onto the river, a conference centre with movable partitions, a lecture theatre that can also act as a movie theatre, a large outdoor terrace, a rooftop courtyard, a riverfront café and possibly a green “biowall.”

He points out that the design does something unusual compared to older buildings on campus.

“Historically, all the buildings on campus have turned their backs to the river and the canal,” he said. “We feel it had to face the river.”

Part of the building will span University Drive.

“The building actually steps over the road,” Moriyama said.

Meanwhile, the university’s board of governors also approved a plan to go ahead with the preliminary design for a new 400-bed student residence to be built in a narrow space between the existing Glengarry House and Renfrew House.

Carleton has residence space for 15 per cent of full-time students, below the average of many Ontario universities.

The board is to make a final decision on the plan late this summer. If it is approved, the new residence would open in 2011.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

[hackunion]

Meanwhile, the university’s board of governors also approved a plan to go ahead with the preliminary design for a new 400-bed student residence to be built in a narrow space between the existing Glengarry House and Renfrew House.


I guess it could fit between the two, but that space really is quite narrow. Looks like they will be getting rid of one of my favourite spots on campus...

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y266/lubelski/MayJune15.jpg

[Rathgrith]

it would be great if Carleton would provide some renderings.

[waterloowarrior]

click to enlarge
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pq_sN7bQQqY/SczrvWQEH9I/AAAAAAAAADM/aY7xaW97mQA/s400/carleton_new.jpg
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pq_sN7bQQqY/SczrvWQEH9I/AAAAAAAAADM/aY7xaW97mQA/s1600-h/carleton_new.jpg)

[waterloowarrior]

Carleton University forced to put plans for new building on hold


BY JOANNE LAUCIUS, THE OTTAWA CITIZENAPRIL 27, 2009 12:01 AM


OTTAWA — Carleton University has been forced to put a hold on plans to begin construction on a landmark new building facing the Rideau Canal.

The 90-day tender for the canal building was up on Tuesday, said Carleton president Roseann Runte.

“When the tender expires, you have to immediately start construction or call a halt.”

Like other Ontario universities, Carleton has not heard news from either the federal or provincial governments about its share of infrastructure funding, said Runte.

If Carleton gets the infrastructure funding, it will have to renegotiate the contract, she said. “We’re still shovel-ready.”

Carleton University’s board of governors approved the final design for the ambitious 96,000-square-foot $30.4 million building in December. It will eventually be home to new programs, including biomedical engineering and science; energy engineering and aerospace engineering. Construction was originally scheduled to start in March and be completed by September 2010.

Meanwhile, the tender is still out on another ambitious project, a 140,000-square-foot showpiece to be constructed between the Steacie Building and the Rideau River slated to provide space for programs in the faculty of public affairs, which includes journalism, communications and the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

[jcollins]

It was posted in the uOttawa thread. But looks like Carleton's Canal AND River buildings will go ahead!!


Infrastructure millions flow to local universities and colleges

By Joanne Laucius, The Ottawa CitizenMay 26, 2009 10:01 AMComments (2)

OTTAWA — In a joint announcement, representatives of the federal and provincial governments have anounced $158.5 million for new projects and renovations in Ottawa’s universities and colleges.

The announcement Monday morning means that Carleton University will go ahead with its landmark canal and river buildings and the University of Ottawa will build a 15-storey glass tower in the middle of its campus.

Candidate projects for the funding have to be ready to go immediately and must be complete by March 2011, said John Baird, minister of Transport and Infrastructure and MP for Ottawa-West-Nepean. He said taxpayers want “all of their elected officials to row together.”

Both Baird and Ottawa-West-Nepean MPP Jim Watson agreed taxpayers expect federal and provincial governments to work together. “We’re obviousy in the middle of a global recession. It’s something that concerns all of us,” Watson told the gathering of University administrators and elected area representatives at the press conference held on the banks of the Rideau River on the Carleton Campus.

Among the projects announced:

• A total of $52.5 million from both the federal and provincial governments for Carleton University’s waterfront project, with facilities that will include a new building by the renowed Moriyama architecture firm, straddling the road beside the Rideau River. The new facilities will house the Faculty of Public Affairs as well as provide lecture halls and a conference centre and will expand Carleton’s capacity by 1,100 undergraduate students and 500 graduate students.

• University of Ottawa will renovate and add a tower to Vanier Hall with $50 million in federal funding and $15 million in provincial fundings. The new and renovated buldings will provide space for 7,000 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students including space for neuroscience laboratories, therapy rooms, teaching computer laboratories, animal care facilities and research space. The total cost for the projects is $118 million, with the remaining money to come from the university. The government contributions are the single largest investment made in the history of the university.

• Both the federal and provincial governments will provide $13 million each for a new “911 Institute” at La Cité Collègiale. The building is to be home to seven programs and five proposed programs relating to security and emergency services as well as providing more room for students in health and sciences programs.

• Meanwhile, both governments have already announced $70 million for a new environmental demonstration centre for the trades and building sciences at Algonquin College.

In all, including the Algonquin announcement, the funding adds up to $228.5 million for Ottawa’s universities and colleges.

The federal government’s “knowledge infrastructure program” is to provide two billion dollars in economic stimulus for post-secondary infrastructure projects across Canada over the next two years, while the 2009 provincial budget set aside $780 million for post-secondary infrastructure.

Between them, the federal and provincial governments are making infrastructure investments of $1.6 billion for capital projects at colleges and universities in Ontario.

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

[hackunion]

If anyone is on campus tomorrow, there will be free cake at the groundbreaking ceremony at 3:30pm - the empty field next to the School of Architecture.
Again, FREE CAKE.

[Ottawade]

Lots of activity on campus these days: Riverside building, construction or maintenance beside engineering, another building going up between engineering and university center, renovation of the Stacy (chemistry) building interior. Lots of little infrastructure improvements as well.

Anyway here are some picks of the riverside prep. So far its amounted to taking down trees and putting up fences, but there's activity every day.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2651/3870968802_7c170010e6_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2474/3870969810_10b7239789_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2528/3870187767_c159c01626_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2466/3870188811_26c89ff4a2_b.jpg

[osirisboy]

thats a really nice building and i like how its actually built close to the river. I always thought carelton was in such a nice location except everything was built so that you would never even know you were close to water.

[Rathgrith]

Any detailed renderings out yet?

[Ottawan]

Not sure if these count as 'detailed' renderings, but these were available on Carleton's website.

http://www.now.carleton.ca/2009-06/photos/Canal%20West-cmyk.jpg

The "Canal" Building - this is the one going into Mackenzie Field (the empty field behind the Engineering buildings and beside the Architecture building). Personally I'll miss that field - I think the parking lots fronting the Unicentre should have been developed first.

http://www.now.carleton.ca/2009-06/photos/WAterfront%20project%20pix-cmyk.jpg

The "River" building, at the site of the construction pictures featured above.

[Rathgrith]

Is that a tunnel for cars to drive under?

[Ottawan]

It sure is. That's how they manage to get it closer to the river: the building straddles University Avenue, which currently cuts off the main part of the Campus from the Rideau.

[Ottawade]

Not sure if these count as 'detailed' renderings, but these were available on Carleton's website.

http://www.now.carleton.ca/2009-06/photos/Canal%20West-cmyk.jpg

The "Canal" Building - this is the one going into Mackenzie Field (the empty field behind the Engineering buildings and beside the Architecture building). Personally I'll miss that field - I think the parking lots fronting the Unicentre should have been developed first.


I agree 100%. It was the only decent field to throw a frisbee around or do anything other than sit in the grass and was pretty centrally located.

The building also hints at Carleton's standard policy "we only spend money on making one face look decent." As with the most recently developed residence one face looks like someone put effort into it while the 3 other sides are as square-windows-'n-brick as you can get.


http://www.now.carleton.ca/2009-06/photos/WAterfront%20project%20pix-cmyk.jpg

The "River" building, at the site of the construction pictures featured above.

The rendering is skewed and doesn't really represent what the riverfront is like when you're standing there. I'll try and snap a real picture and do a cut and paste. Although it is quiet and under utilized I think this building is going to interact with the riverside in an awkward, very permanent way.

[Ottawade]

Mods you can bump this to "Excavation" as one building has the crane up and the other started excavation today.