Edmonton’s inaugural infill-design competition last month inspired a variety of creative entries – and some could become a reality
KENNEDY, Canada, Edmonton 2016, Competition winner, Lead designer (Architecture, Urban Design)
Edmonton Infill Design Competition
Edmonton has something that is unique within Canada: mature elm lined neighbourhoods that possess a variety of housing typologies (single family detached, duplex, walk-up and other multi-family housing types). Despite our profoundly beautiful green urban corridors, there is an absence of strong public and semi-public connections along these promenades. Introverted and unfriendly housing stock does not pay attention to the public realm; this represents an unrealized opportunity.
In this design, we have sought to thoroughly study and define public, semi-public and private spaces by embracing the cold seasons to boost winter vigour, activity, and liveliness. The project creates dynamism and concentration by linking the qualities of the existing green urban grid to new semi-private communal corridors that results in an urban architectural experience that can compliment the city’s current green footprint.
Our design introduces a new qualitative typology called INCLINATION, linking neighbourhood and nature by inclining the site to create an artificial hill that accommodates clusters of semi-private dwellings together. The 5% inclined surface allows people in cars to enter from the back lane while simultaneously facilitating a water feature/ice slide in the center of the street facing the courtyard. The inclined garden provides a comfortable, walkable and inviting appearance. It shows a defined framework for urban continuity by bringing public streets into conversations with semi-private courtyards.
This cluster housing proposal consists of 10 units of duplexes arranged around a court, forming the main public communal space. The court is celebrated by a linear reflecting pool that transforms itself into an ice slide during the winter months. The entrances to the units are adjacent to their own front yard serving as food growing opportunities and acting as transition zones between the semi-public and private space. The living areas face the external perimeter where they have their own private patio/garden on the main floor that forms one main open living space. On the second level, the master bedroom faces the central space but is kept private with a timber screen. Adjoining it is a balcony which acts as the public platform by which the resident can relate to the garden and the other residents. Each unit ranges from 135 to 155 sqm with 3 bedrooms and a flex basement unit that can be utilized as an office, guest bedroom, music room or even a home cinema. There is also a dedicated private underground car park area for two cars for each unit.
Cheaper housing options in most typical suburban developments lack enough communal soul and amenity principles for families. This blurs the quality between private and public spaces and results in a loss of social sustainability for the residents and sense of belonging and community. INCLINATION aims to address this shortfall by providing more family-oriented housing options and answering to higher level issues such as densification, affordability and livability.