The Idea
The architect, in his written statement regarding the concept, has extended the stated competition program by setting himself a series of difficult criteria. Among these were ideas about relationships between the electorate and the elected; visible and accessible civic government; a public domain that is "permeable" from all sides and yet formal enough for the ceremonial and celebratory aspects of civic life. The Jury considered these notions to be idealistic and certainly optimistic but also fundamentally humanistic -- ideas to be applauded. The Jury was struck by the degree of consistency with which these ideas had been translated into architectural form.
There is a deceptive simplicity about this submission. The five levels floating above the site are indeed simple; the drama will be in the street and plaza levels below.
"A simple, strong conceptual statement with very rich possibilities."
The Planning
The planning solution seems highly consistent with the ideological aims. The Council Chamber is accessible directly from grade or by a sequence of steps from the civic square -- direct and simple. High volume public access areas are closely related to grade or one level below. The east and west edges of the building are transparent and almost dissolve the boundary between the sidewalks and the interior square. Maintaining this transparency will require skillful handling in the execution. There is an excellent and simple public connection from the LRT station through the ceremonial plaza and into the building or beyond into Edmonton Centre.
All other medium and low public access areas are located in levels 4 to 9 in long, low rise structure formed around a series of interior courts, somewhat reminiscent of Wright's Marin County Civic Centre. In this case, the form is truncated into three reducing sections from south to north. At street level it is expected that this would reduce the building's visual length on the site. The Jury considered that this solution had admirably met its own aims without resorting to trendy forms and cliches.
The Urban Context
This submission chose to contrast with the highly diverse character of the surrounding buildings. The Jury perceived it to have an established presence of its own and a sense of calm repose which had been achieved without resorting to current fashionable cliches. The building presents a self-assured image and a symbolic quality which distinguishes it clearly from its retail, commercial and institutional surroundings. The building maintains almost the same forecourt space as the existing building but presents a firm frontal axis to Sir Winston Churchill Square.
There is a clear, coherent progression from Sir Winston Churchill Square to the ceremonial plaza to the interior Civic Square. The sequence of space is reinforced by the landscape treatment.
There is a faintly historical or traditional idea of democratic process in this submission, whereby the seat of government is visible, accessible, at street level and positioned on a civic square designed as an interior room for a high altitude climate. The idea could be characterized as a building within a building. The architect envisions a broad range of activities taking place in this space -high volume public traffic on day-to-day city business, pass through pedestrian traffic from public transit, and crowds associated with public and ceremonial occasions. It is hoped that this part of the public domain might generate the kind of large assemblies witnessed by Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto.
This submission will require further resolution in the following areas:
1. the functional links between the two lower levels require further study -. particularly the daylighting possibilities of the lower level;
2. automobile and service access require revision;
3. long span transfer trusses at level 4 should be costed against alternatives. The Jury felt that a simple continuation of the 9M grid from above would not only be less expensive but might generate a richer, smaller scaled environment below. The columns may also contribute to stiffening the glass enclosure on the east and west sides.
4. the energy strategy (solar buffer zone) requires a detailed review;
5. elevator requirements should be confirmed.
In summary, the Jury feels that these recommendations can be carried out without compromising the intrinsic spirit of the building. The design is schematic enough to allow for a generous degree of flexibility in the next stage of refinement with the client.
On balance the Jury felt that the issues of expression and symbolism must weigh more importantly in the decision and that the winning entry had an established presence on the site that other entries had not achieved with as much success. The long, low structure hovering above the site appears very simple, however, the space below has potential for great drama and could be a unique contribution to civic architecture and to the City of Edmonton.
(From jury report)
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