Ottawa, Canada

Canadian War Museum

Moriyama & Teshima + Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects

Photo: Tom Arban - Images courtesy of Moriyama - Teshima Architects

Design Philosophy

Photo: Tom Arban - Images courtesy of Moriyama - Teshima Architects

RegenerationRegeneration embodies the sequences of devastation, survival, rebirth, adaptation and life. In war, nature – comprising the land and the human spirit nurtured thereon – is ravaged and seemingly destroyed. Miraculously and somehow inevitably, nature survives and regenerates as the power of life prevails. It is this process of regeneration and healing that nourishes and rekindles human hope, faith and courage.The architectural concept of regenerative landscape was inspired by stories of Canadian veterans, war poetry and images found in photographs and paintings in the Canadian War Museums collection of war art: Canadian soldiers standing in desolate foreign landscapes; and the Beaumont Hamel Memorial in France where trenches, now covered with lush green vegetation, preserve the memory of the 710 Newfoundlanders sacrificed at the 1916 Battle of the Somme.

Photo: Tom Arban - Images courtesy of Moriyama - Teshima Architects

The architecture avoids the glorification of war. Instead, it expresses the courage and modesty of ordinary Canadians doing extraordinary deeds in exceptional times, during war time and peace keeping.The building emerges gently from the bank of the Ottawa River in Canadas capital city. It rises slowly towards the east to engage the urban cityscape and pay homage to, in the distance, Ottawas Parliamentary Precinct, the home of Canadas government. The overall expression of the building is horizontal, with a rooftop of wild grass. One can imagine peeling back this protective cover to reveal the interior spaces: the memory of war captured in the complex system of tilting planes that collide and intersect with one another lending to a sense of disorientation from within. The landscape overlay is evidence of the healing power of time and nature: land fusing with ruin in a slow process of regeneration and hybridization.

Photo: Tom Arban - Images courtesy of Moriyama - Teshima Architects

Sustainability

Photo: Tom Arban - Images courtesy of Moriyama - Teshima Architects

In addition to an architectural expression of regeneration, the design and construction strategies had to express the philosophy in real and practical terms as well. The green roof is an effective and economical solution to storm water management and provides significant energy saving and air pollution remediation. Concrete, incorporating up to 15% recycled fly ash provides an energy-conserving mass which is particularly effective in responding to the Canadian climate of cold winters and hot summers. River water is used for mechanical cooling, non-potable uses and ground irrigation. Recycled copper cladding from Ottawas Library of Parliament is re-used extensively as an interior finish in the museum.

Photo: Tom Arban - Images courtesy of Moriyama - Teshima Architects

Site

Photo: Tom Arban - Images courtesy of Moriyama - Teshima Architects

The project site is a 7.5 hectare parcel on Ottawas LeBreton Flats, an early industrial brownfield site that was regenerated through remediation, allowing the local flflora to grow over the building. Wrapping around the north and west sides of the site is the Ottawa River, across which is the province of Quebec. To the south is a large urban park called The Commons which will be used for concerts and other large events throughout the year. To the east of the museum is Ottawas downtown and Parliamentary Precinct.The building is organized around 2 primary axes; the first is the view towards the Peace Tower which soars three hundred feet into the air on Ottawas Parliament Hill to the east. The other axis is the position of the sun on Remembrance Day, November 11 at 11am, when all Canadians observe a moment of silence in remembrance of their fallen soldiers.

Photo: Tom Arban - Images courtesy of Moriyama - Teshima Architects

Urban / Pastoral

Photo: Tom Arban - Images courtesy of Moriyama - Teshima Architects

At ground level, the buildings exterior responds to the sites dual personality: an urban venue in a pastoral setting. The eastern edge, with its wide views of the Parliamentary Precinct and downtown expresses the urban, while the western edge along the rivers edge is much more pastoral. To the west, the building works to blend into the site. To the east, expansive outward sloped glazing afford inviting views into the Museum, tempting the curiosity of passersby with a promise of what is within.