OAA Landscape Design Competition

The OAA is launching a Landscape Design Competition for its headquarters on Wednesday, March 20, with final submissions due Thursday, May 16. An official launch webinar kickoff happens on March 20, and you can register by clicking this link.

Among the goals of the Landscape Design Competition is a furthering of the Association’s Renew + Refresh initiative, which made the Toronto building a model of net-zero design. The winning team for the anonymous, juried competition—overseen by Ontario architect Joe Lobko, will be awarded the contract to redesign the landscaping at the OAA property at 111 Moatfield Drive.

In addition to showcasing design excellence, competitors will be asked to create a welcoming arrival experience, enhance the building, incorporate public art, recognize the role of sustainability and water use in the health of the environment, and acknowledge the Don River ravine context.

Eligibility and Team Registration

The Landscape Design Competition is open to teams led by a licensed member of the OAA or a Full Member of the Ontario Association of Landscape Architects (OALA) who is able to conduct the work through a Certificate of Practice or landscape architecture firm. All participating teams must include an OALA landscape architect and a civil engineer. Others may be part of the team as desired. Registration is required prior to March 20, the official launch date.

Register your team

Official Launch Webinar

All eligible registered teams will be invited to attend the official launch webinar on March 20. OAA President Settimo Vilardi and Vice President & Building Committee Chair Lara McKendrick will share the OAA’s ambition for this exciting project. Joe Lobko will review specific details of the Project Brief, as well as technical and historic information about the site on which the OAA Headquarters is situated.

The session is open to anyone interested in hearing more about the project. For OAA members, it is also eligible for one hour of self-directed learning under the Continuing Education Program. While there is no cost to attend, registration is required.

Register now

Technical Review Advisory team

The Landscape Design Competition is supported by a Technical Review Advisory team comprising:

• Sibylle von Knobloch, OALA, CSLA (senior landscape architect with O2 Planning + Design);
• Steve Hollingworth, ing. (civil engineer and director of water resources with TYLin);
• Tom Ingersoll (cost consultant with Ingersoll & Associates Inc.)

Jury

 Anonymous submissions will be reviewed by a panel of esteemed jurors comprising:

• La présidente Chair Susan Speigel, BA, B.Arch., (EQ. M.Arch), OAA, FRAIC (architect with SSA Studio and OAA Vice President);
• Sheila Boudreau, OALA, APALA, CSLA, RPP/OPPI, MCIP (landscape architect with SpruceLab)
• Michelle Longlade (Lieutenant Governor-appointed member of the OAA’s governing Council);
• Marc Ryan, OALA (landscape architect with Public Work);
• Liz Wreford, B.Env., MALA, OALA, SALA, AALA, CSLA (landscape architect with Public City).

Competition Prize

The winning design will be awarded a $20,000 prize and be selected to lead the landscape redesign project. Two honourable mentions will also be selected with an award of $5,000 each.

Budget

OAA Council has approved an overall budget of $2 million to complete the project, including both consultant and construction costs as well as contingencies. The consultant fee will represent 15% of construction value.

Goals

As the province’s regulator for the architecture profession, the OAA’s primary mandate is to serve and protect the public interest. Given the substantial societal impact of the construction and operation of the built environment, the Association seeks to take a leadership role in celebrating sensitive, responsible, and innovative design while emphasizing the essential role the architecture profession, and all design professionals, plays in building for resiliency and inclusivity.

“This competition is a natural extension and continuation of the ethos underpinning the Renew + Refresh project,” says Lara McKendrick, OAA Vice President and Chair of the Building Committee. “We see this competition as an opportunity to think about how we can take steps to heal our relationship with the land and its original caretakers.”