Siting:
An excellent town planning concept; the arrangement of high and low structures parallel to Memorial Boulevard forms a distinguished space focused on the Legislative Building, at the same time creating two fine plazas, one on Broadway for daily public entrance and one on York Avenue for City Council and ceremonial entrances.
The tall mass echoes and complements the new Provincial Government office building to the east. In doing so, it effectively coordinates and completes the whole group of buildings and open spaces in the vicinity of the Legislative Building.
While the two units comprising the City Hall compose weil with the other buildings in the area, they appear to be crowded rather close to one another. The Jury strongly recommends that the Government of Manitoba ease the specifjed alignment along the west side of Memorial Boulevard. In this way the two·story unit could be moved eastward and its relationship to the office block would thereby be improved. This would in no way interfere with the approach view of the Legislative Building; it would, in fact, create a more appropriate
asymmetrical balance with the Land Titles Office Building on the east side of Memorial Boulevard.
The Osborne Street side wouId be impraved by greater attention to landscaping, changes of level, and provision of an adequate and more dignified staff entrance.
InternaI Planning:
The basic plan is sound ond permits greot freedom of design, but has not been properly developed; it needs further study of the following points:
Two Story Building:
Access to the Mayor.
Circulation of Mayor to Council Chamber.
Connection from Law Department to Administrative area.
Excessively long stair runs.
Office Block:
Very tight in width.
Inadequate elevator lobbies.
Vertical circulation, especially to kitchen which has been neglected.
Kitchen service on reception level.
Link between two units weak (suggest a two-story link, with Legal Department and clerk on second floor of Office block).
Staff access inadequate, especially from west.
Provision of sheltered oreas in conjunction with plazas is suggested.
Exteriors:
The scale is well maintained both between the two units and between the City Hall and its surroundings.
The treatment of poured concrete should be carefully considered for durability of appearonce:
recommend some stone on both low and high units.
The treatment of the east-west exposure on office black displays good sense and good proportions,
and is very successful visually.
The proposed upward expansion should be studied further.
Interiors:
Very effective in space and detail. The form of the Council Chamber is questioned for good acoustics.
Structure:
Economical, logical and straight forward. Further development of low unit structure might produce a more significant sculptural form.
Over-all Concept:
Although some of the detailed planning has not been studied with sufficient care and thought, the basic scheme is excellent as a town planning concept. The Jury commended the clear expression of the dual nature of a City Hall. The grouping of legislative and ceremonial areas together with the major public-access elements in the two-story unit appears to be much more logical and successful as the expressive symbol of the relation between civic government and the people than the usual segregation of the council chamber by itself into a unit separate from the administrative office building unit. In this solution, this dual expression echoes effectively the newly created separation between the principal legislative and administrative buildings of the Provincial Government.
The total complex of the two buildings and the two plazas has excellent character: its majestic urban scale would appear to symbolize appropriately the civic government; at the same time it has a human scale which welcomes the citizen in a democratic manner. It succeeds admirably in expressing both the dignity and the friendliness of a City Hall which serves its citizens and welcomes its visitors.
The presentation of the drawings and model was bath competent and sophisticated, indicating a sensitive, thorough and competent architect: it left little to be desired.
There was no doubt in the Jury's mind that this winning solution gave the greatest assurance of being developed into a truly appropriate and unique City Hall for Winnipeg.
(From jury report)
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