INDEX

Backgrounder

The Site — Beryl Gaffney Park

New Office Designs

Green Features

Construction

Future Use of Dickinson Square

Illustrations courtesy Christopher Simmonds
Architect Inc.

The Site — Beryl Gaffney Park

This project is being undertaken in partnership with the City of Ottawa who will retain ownership of the land. The RVCA and the City would like this project to serve as a model and take every opportunity to design with nature.

Using Beryl Gaffney Park provides good working space for the RVCA and acts as a gateway/ educational opportunity for people using the park.

The new building is being designed to integrate into the Beryl Gaffney Park and will provide a central focus within the park. The building and related service areas have been sited and designed to minimize adverse impact. The building will be certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Program. Our intent is to build a green building that will showcase and demonstrate practices that support natural features and functions. In particular, stormwater and wastewater systems have been designed to far exceed minimum standards. Design with nature principles have been and will continue to be a central focus throughout this project.

LEED® Certification distinguishes building projects that have
demonstrated a commitment to sustainability by meeting higher performance standards in environmental responsibility and energy efficiency.

The RVCA believes there is a unique opportunity to truly enhance the conservation character of this property consistent with overall objectives for Beryl Gaffney Park and public lands in general along this reach of the Rideau River. The building has been designed to integrate into the park. The building will provide a new headquarters for the RVCA, as well as, a visitor and interpretation centre for the park. It will function as a gateway to Beryl Gaffney Park

New Office in Beryl Gaffney Park
Some of the principles or the framework around our discussions with the City include:

• This will be a public – public partnership which will benefit both the RVCA and the City
• The City will retain ownership of the land
• The City will front-end the financing for the new office building which will become a debt that RVCA will repay
• The building site will be subject to a lease agreement and RVCA will pay market value rent on the leased area
• Rent payments will go towards future park development
• The office building is being designed to accommodate some shared uses including an atrium, meeting rooms and public washrooms which will also function as a visitor centre and provide a gateway to the park and focal point for the park trail network
• Development will include some enhancements to a few acres of adjacent land that will benefit both the City and the RVCA (e.g. access; parking; site grading, landscaping & tree planting; plus connections to existing trails)
• RVCA and the City will investigate a Park Management Agreement

The building will provide a new headquarters for the RVCA, as well as, a visitor and interpretation centre for the park.