The Rehabilitation of Observatory House as a Home for the Circle of Nations
This webinar was part of the RAIC 2021 Virtual Conference on Architecture
Topics: History, Heritage and Culture
Length: 1 hour | What's Included: Video, Quiz, and Certificate of Completion
This webinar is available to stream!
Observatory House, constructed in 1909, is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building located next to the Dominion Observatory on the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa, Ontario. The house has been rehabilitated as the new home for the Circle of Nations, a Learning Centre for First Nations, Inuit and Metis People. This presentation focuses on the challenges that Architect’s face in adapting heritage buildings to meet modern building codes and accessibility standards. It also focuses specifically on the challenge of preserving the historic character of Observatory House as a family home while converting it to a place for Indigenous cultural expression.
Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to:
- Describe the design elements that were employed to bridge the gap between an historic colonial style building and a modern learning centre for Indigenous culture;
- Discuss major challenges that Building and Fire Code upgrades created while aiming to maintain character defining elements of this heritage building;
- Describe encountered challenges and selected methods of introducing barrier-free accessibility into the Observatory House with minimum negative impact on its heritage character;
- Identify how the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada sets out a clear and concise approach for Architects working with Heritage Buildings.
Subject Matter Experts
Peter Simister, B.Arch, OAA, MRAIC, CAHP, LEED / Conservation Architect, CSV Architects
Camille Lewis, M.Arch, OAA, BOATT, CAHP / Project Architect, CSV Architects
Pricing A-La-Carte
Member: $50 / Non-Member: $75
Intern Member: $35 / Intern Non-Member: $50
Student: $25 (must be an RAIC student associate member)
This is a recording of a live event.
This webinar is part of a series! See more like this here.