GUELPH CIVIC ADMINISTRATION CENTRE

Our winning entry for this city hall competition focused its urban design ideas on clarifying, revealing and incorporating Guelph’s historic city hall (circa 1856) and a remnant stone wall – part of the “winter fair building” – which was entombed within an abandoned arena at the city hall site.

In order to keep the street view focused on the historic city hall as the most significant building, the new addition was set back further from the street than the old city hall and was partially screened on its front side with newly planted maple trees, making the old city hall stand out. The historic city hall can also be seen as the primary building from Guelph’s highest point – home to Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate – thanks to a reflective, water-filled roof. This roof, along with the reflecting pool at grade, on very sunny days, renders the addition almost invisible through the glittering effects of reflected light on water, giving focal prominence to the historic city hall.

To the front of the historic city hall and its addition is a narrow multi-purpose courtyard for both public and city hall events. To increase the use of this narrow courtyard, we proposed to pave the street adjacent (Carden Street) in the same honed granite. As such, when large public events require more space, Carden Street can be closed, extending the courtyard right up to the existing buildings across the street, ultimately creating a huge urban plaza.

Lastly, in remembrance of the horse-drawn fire trucks, which were formerly stationed here, a public sculpture is proposed for the site’s west end. Composed from a series of stainless-steel plates whose rhythmic undulating forms mimic the actions of running horses, the sculpture traverses from the courtyard directly into the reflecting pool, bridging both water and land, illustrating the unstoppable determination of these courageous animals.

Note: For Guelph Civic Administration Centre building write-up, statistics, materials and general program, see Institutional Portfolio – Guelph Civic Administration Centre.

LOCATION: Guelph, Ontario

ARCHITECT: Adamson Associates Architects

DESIGN LEADERSHIP: Michael Poitras,
Partner-in-Charge of Design (Adamson)

COMPETITION: First Place

CLIENT: City of Guelph