OTTAWA, March 7, 2016 – RAIC President Allan Teramura, FRAIC, today took part in a round-table discussion on Smart Cities: Design, Innovation and Sustainability with noted American architect Jeanne Gang, Minister of Environment Catherine McKenna and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson, among others.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman hosted the discussion over breakfast at his official residence. Ms. Gang, founder and lead architect of Chicago's Studio Gang Architects, is in Ottawa giving a free public lecture tonight at 6 PM at the National Gallery of Canada.The British journal Architectural Review this week named her Architect of the Year in this year's Women in Architecture 2016 awards.
“Creating sustainable communities is a central part of the RAIC’s advocacy agenda,” said Mr. Teramura. He told Minister McKenna that the RAIC was interested in exploring ways the RAIC can work with her ministry to support the government’s initiative to reduce carbon emissions.
Ambassador Heyman facilitated an interesting conversation on how to better integrate design into communities and invited the guests to share their experiences. There was considerable discussion about the need to engage communities in projects, and Minister McKenna explained the importance of genuine community consultation.
She also spoke of her passion for the waterways of the Ottawa region, being an avid canoeist and swimmer. The active use of the shorelines is something she is working on with the City of Ottawa and the National Capital Commission.
Ms. Gang discussed various aspects of her firm’s recent projects, emphasizing the way in which they attempt to engage ecological principles as well as improving the quality of life in the communities around them.
Current work involves the rehabilitation of the Chicago River as a natural waterway, which for years has been regarded as a polluted industrial corridor to be avoided. The idea of creating spaces where visitors could become “citizen scientists” and have a more immediate relationship with the natural environment was explored.
Ottawa architect Barry Hobin, FRAIC, raised the phenomenon of suburban growth, and how it is largely an architect-free zone today. He contrasted this to the 19th century Chicago suburb of Riverside, which was planned by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted,and features a number of houses designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Mr. Teramura suggested that rather than despairing about these parts of the city, we should see them as the crude basis for future urbanism, which could be developed into better, more sustainable environments.
Zita Cobb, Hon. FRAIC, Founder and CEO Shorefast Foundation, talked about the need to incorporate nature into urban environments in a more meaningful way, as many urban parks fail to do this.
Also, in attendance were:
- Mark Kristmanson, CEO of the National Capital Commission;
- Shauna Levy, President and CEO of the Design Exchange in Toronto;
- Mark Schendel of Studio Gang;
- Robin Mowenberg Tebbe, of Magellan Development Group;
- Mark Tebbe, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and Chairman – Chicago NEXT – World Business Chicago;
- Vicki Heyman, wife of the ambassador;
- Jan Harder, Ottawa city councillor;
- Steven Fai, architecture professor at Carleton University.