Urban Design Awards 2023

460 Callaway Rd - Northlink

The vision for NorthLink was to create a unique, master-planned community that seamlessly integrates nature, design, and amenities. With a design focus on maximizing natural light, providing optimal views, and promoting environmental efficiency, our goal was to offer comfortable living spaces, create a warm sense of community, and enhance the overall quality of life for homeowners. Upon completion, this exceptional community will include four, 10-storey condominiums and a total of 481 homes. Currently, two buildings are complete and occupied.

1731 Churchill Ave - East Lions Community Centre

This project bucks the decades-long North American trend for ‘bigger is better’ regional Multi-Use Recreation Complexes (MURCs) on peripheral or centralized driveto sites. The approach here implements a smaller scale, second-generation re-investment into an established, mature, and walkable residential community — the Argyle neighborhood on London’s east side. It rejuvenates and introduces new bold outdoor amenities and the new Community Centre into East Lions Park — to enhance the quality of public offerings while honoring the delicate ‘spirit of place’ established over generations.

440 Clarke Rd - Zerin Place Affordable Housing

Zerin Place, located at the corner of Clarke Road and Eastwood Street in the Argyle neighbourhood in east London, is a four-storey 65-unit residential building that includes both 1 and 2-bedroom affordable and market-rate units. Zerin Place is designed as a space of inclusivity, with thirty percent of the units and all common spaces of the building fully barrier-free. Highly energy efficient, Zerin Place includes rooftop solar panels that are intentionally visible from the street.

191 Commissioners Rd W - Vida Gardens Affordable Housing

Vida Gardens is a 65-unit affordable and mixed-income housing project on an infill lot on Commissioners Road at the terminus of Viscount Road in the City of London. The building projects out confidently from its site, actively framing the public realm along the sidewalk. This is a rarity along Commissioners, a road currently characterized by large apartment buildings set back behind large areas of surface parking.

2335 Discovery Dr - BOS Innovations Corporate HQ

BOS Innovations, a rapidly growing, local, family-owned company, that executes industrial automation solutions for the automotive and general industries, had outgrown their existing facility in Dorchester and looked to the Innovation Park of south London to build their new headquarters. The BOS Innovations facility is a combination machine of craftsmanship and technological advancement. The architecture and interiors were designed with these caveats in mind; providing special collaboration spaces for the staff to engage and solve manufacturers’ challenges with advanced technology.

125 South Carriage Road - Hyde Park Road Memorial

A Memorial was erected by the City of London at the site of the tragic murder in honour of the Afzaal family, Our London Family. Located at the southwest corner of Hyde Park and South Carriage roads and for the one-year anniversary, the purpose of the memorial is to allow individuals to gather and reflect and be a reminder that more needs to be done to battle racism and Islamophobia.

2450 Innovation Dr - Aspire Food Group Production Facility

In one of London’s industrial precincts, marking the corner of Innovation Drive and Concept Drive, sits the largest cricket production facility in the world. Aspire Food Group is pioneering the insect agriculture industry and their London Ontario facility represents the smartest and most environmentally responsible protein production system on the planet.

40 Lambton Dr - Thames Hall Redevelopment at Western University

The renewed Thames Hall will be an exemplar of adaptive reuse that fully respects the elegant collegiate gothic architecture that defines Western University’s singular campus. Built in 1948, Thames Hall once housed the Spencer Memorial Pool, campus gymnasium and related athletic support spaces. This renewal project carefully preserved the exterior architecture that is steeped in Western history, while making the entire building fully accessible for the first time.

723 Lorne Ave - Lorne Avenue Park

A landscape, a site, can serve a multitude of purposes. It can be a place of institutional function, a place of ecological service, a place of urban infrastructure and a place of recreation. The amalgam of all the layers of use and memory that contribute to a site’s significance has the effect of creating community and supporting a sense of sustainable identity. A landscape can embody the spirit of a community, and this was the case with the site of Lorne Avenue Park. Lorne Avenue Park is a neighbourhood park in Old East Village, a dynamic and vibrant community in London, Ontario.

2541 Meadowgate Blvd - Summerside Public School & Children's Centre

Located in the heart of the Summerside Community in London, Summerside Public School and Children’s Centre is a two-storey public school that includes 18 classrooms, 4 kindergarten classrooms, a gymnasium, an adjoining activity room, and a fully-glazed learning commons that overlooks the surrounding neighbourhood. The building has been designed to support the growth of the community.

1308 Norman Ave - Byron Pool & Bathhouse

The City of London plays an active and important role in the development and promotion of community-based projects that “assure the health, safety and well-being of individuals and families while promoting liveable and inclusive neighbourhoods” as identified in the Council Strategic Priority – Community Vitality. Contributing to this City initiative is the refreshed Byron Pool, a bathing facility offering local residents a new way to be active, engaged and connected in their community

1370 Oxford St W - Matthews Hall Independent School

Beginning in 2018, a+LiNK Architecture was tasked by Matthews Hall to develop a long-term master plan for their private school campus. Visioning included for phased renovations and additions which would provide inclusive, inspiring and supportive spaces for student learning and faculty engagement.

578 Richmond St - Libro Credit Union

Libro Credit Union, a financial institution with deep local roots, leased the former Williams Coffee Pub building in the heart of Richmond Row, downtown London, to solidify their presence and involvement in a quickly reviving area. As part of Libro’s local commitment the building was transformed into a fully AODA compliant space. Barrier-free entrances, elevator to access the basement, Universal washroom and accessible kitchen were just a few of the measures added to make the space accommodating to all.

505 Talbot St - Sitelines

Introducing SITELINES, a captivating sculptural canopy created by artist Jyhling Lee that adds a distinctive artistic touch to London’s landscape. Inspired by the Forest City’s unique blend of nature and urban elements, SITELINES seamlessly harmonizes with its surroundings, showcasing London’s cultural and architectural heritage. Lee meticulously explored the surrounding environment, capturing the interplay between the urban skyline, the treeline, and the intricate ornamentation of the area’s historic buildings

349 Tweedsmuir Ave - Tweedsmuir Public School

The Tweedsmuir Public School Addition and Renovation project was prompted by the need to amalgamate portions of two existing public schools in an east end community in the city of London. In addition to accommodating the expanded program, the project included an opportunity to enhance and redefine a prominent urban fixture in an established residential community through careful site planning and sensitive architectural design

1137 Western Rd - Wampum Learning Lodge

Drawing inspiration from the Anishnawbe concept, ‘All Our Relations’ – a teaching that reminds human beings that we are interconnected with and interdependent on both each other and all of nature – Western University has repurposed space at Althouse College to create a touchstone for Indigenous peoples and communities to engage with Western. Advancing Indigenization, decolonization, and reconciliation, the project’s goal is to foster a true sense of community and diversity.

1285 Western Rd - Brescia Food School & Academic Pavilion

This project for a small women's college attempts to reconnect its next-generation academic setting back to its historical roots, carefully positioning itself along the natural wood lined campus edge in London, Ontario. The modest, village-like campus was founded by the Ursuline Sisters who, in 1919, committed to social justice, extended community, and the holistic, inclusive development of women in Canada.