Ottawa’s best in urban design have been honoured with the 2021 Ottawa Urban Design Awards. Nine projects were recognized for this year’s awards.

The Ottawa Urban Design Award program takes place every two years. In this ninth edition of the program, the awards honoured exceptional projects completed between September 1, 2019 and August 31, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no awards gala for this year’s winners.

A guest jury of three independent design experts convened virtually to assess this year’s candidates. One Award of Excellence was presented to Bayswater Townhomes in the category of Urban Infill (low-rise). Projects that receive an Award of Excellence are eligible to represent Ottawa in competition for the 2022 Royal Architectural Institute of Canada’s Urban Design Awards program.

Six additional projects were recognized as award winners in the following five categories:

• Urban Infill, (low-rise), for buildings that introduce quality built spaces into established neighbourhoods in ways that respect the community
• Public Places and Civic Spaces, for spaces that enhance, extend and embellish the public realm
• Urban Elements, for design elements that contribute to the unique character of the neighbourhood at a human scale
• Community Initiatives, to recognize built projects that highlight the power of community action and engagement
• Student Projects, for theoretical or studio projects submitted by students

The jury also awarded two special awards for 2021: A Special Jury Award of Merit and a Community Partnership Award.

A full list of winners can be found on ottawa.ca.

Quotes

“These projects demonstrate the design and architectural excellence we’ve seen in Ottawa during an unprecedented two-year period in our history. The impact of good urban design is felt across the city, not only in the moment of its creation, but for decades to come.”

Jim Watson, Mayor, City of Ottawa

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