|
CITY OF VANCOUVER ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT |
Date: |
June 22, 2004 | |
Author: |
Cameron Gray | |
Phone No.: |
7207 | |
RTS No.: |
04376 | |
CC File No.: |
4656 | |
Meeting Date: |
July 6, 2004 |
TO: |
Vancouver City Council |
FROM: |
The Director of The Housing Centre |
SUBJECT: |
City Non-Market Housing Awards: 2004 Governor General's Medal for Architecture and 2004 Heritage Canada Special Achievement Award |
RECOMMENDATION
THAT Council receive this report for information and congratulate:
· Henriquez Partners and Lore Krill Housing Co-operative for the 2004 Governor General's Award for Architecture for 65 West Cordova St., and
· Sean McEwen and Hotson Bakker Architects and the Mole Hill Community Housing Society for the 2004 Heritage Canada Award for Special Achievement.
PURPOSE
This report advises Council of two prestigious awards received for two non-market housing projects developed in partnership between the community, BC Housing and the City.
LORE KRILL HOUSING CO-OPERATIVE
Lore Krill Housing Co-operative is a 203 unit non-market housing co-operative built on two sites, 65 W. Cordova and 239 E. Georgia. Originally funded by the Province as part of the Woodwards redevelopment, the units were moved off site when the redevelopment of Woodwards did not proceed. The Lore Krill Housing Co-operative, BC Housing and the City entered into a partnership to redevelop the City owned surface parking lot at 65 W. Cordova for 106 non-market housing units and a 200 stall public parking garage. Designed by Henriquez Partners, the project was completed in 2002. Henriquez Partners received a Lieutenant Governor's Medal for Architecture earlier this year for the project and have now received a Governor General's Medal for Architecture. Lore Krill is one of nine projects in Canada (five in BC) to win a 2004 Governor Generals Medal.
MOLE HILL
Mole Hill consists of 170 non-market housing units in 27 houses in the West End (between Thurlow and Bute, and Comox and Pendrell). They date from the late 1890s and form the oldest complete block of Victorian and Edwardian houses in the City. The houses were originally purchased by the City in the 1950s for an extension to Nelson Park but, in response to community concerns over the loss of heritage and affordable housing, Council approved a joint heritage and affordable housing preservation option in 1996. The Mole Hill Community Housing Society, BC Housing and the City entered into a partnership in 1999 for the restoration of the houses for a mix of families, couples and singles. The architects, Sean McEwen and Hotson Bakker, and the Mole Hill Community Housing Society received a Vancouver Heritage Award of Honour earlier this year, and recently received Heritage Canada's Award for Special Achievement. Mole Hill is the only project in BC to receive a 2004 Heritage Canada award.
CONCLUSION
Lore Krill Co-op and Mole Hill share a couple of important factors. One is that both are non-market housing projects that won prestigious architectural awards, proving (once again) that non-market and affordable housing can achieve high quality design. The second is that both projects were community initiated and led, and it is no coincidence that they are also among the best designed in Canada. The architects and the community sponsors for both projects deserve to be congratulated.
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