Project Brief:
“From the information gathered in ACT II, each Studio pair will employ their own strategies for the Site development. The Building programme, strategies for site interventions, existing site conditions, existing conditions and cultural infrastructures, will figure in the implementation of the theatre on its site.
As part of this project, site development should illustrate a clear response to street edges, parks, pedestrian and vehicular access, deliveries, open space, bus stops, handicap accessibility, etc.
The two-part Theatre aims to create, on one hand, a new cultural destination and provide a place for open-air performances to enhance the experience within the landscape. The outdoor Amphitheatre is a place to engage with the land, the sky and the river, where performers and audience are both participants and observers while the landscape becomes a natural scenic venue. On the other hand, a complementary Experimental (black-box) theatre with related ancillary spaces anchors the landscape theatre to the bedrock of the promontory.”
Project Abstract:
Nepean point has been a host to many historical events. It has served as a meeting place for Indigenous Communities prior to Canada’s birth – providing a high vantage point overlooking the intersection of the Ottawa, Gatineau, and Rideau rivers. Currently the point hosts a prominent role as a destination for locals and visitors alike, featuring plaques and statues that serve as reminders of Canada’s history and achievements.
A proposed Black box theater, amphitheater, and park revitalization provide with new and unique ways to enjoy and experience Nepean point. The current condition of the existing outdoor theatre at the point has been deemed unsafe for use. The improved theatre program on the site will host an indoor 300 seat Black box theatre with supporting facilities, an outdoor amphitheater, and an open pavilion whose footprint speaks to the geology of Nepean Point.
The loosely cruciform design of the theater was borne from having two significant points of pedestrian collection: one point near the pedestrian bridge connecting to Major Hill’s Park, and one northern point that overlooks the Ottawa river. Between these points, different journeys are taken depending on how visitors wish to use the site. From these diverging paths unique perspectives are discovered, some which reveal the urban landscape of Ottawa, and others which obscure.
A tourist who has spotted the theater and pavilion from Parliament Hill may wish to take a meandering path circumnavigating the cliff face. They eventually find themselves in a conversation between two re-conceived statues – one where Champlain is no longer elevated on a pedestal as seen today, but on equal ground with an Anishinaabe guide.
Patrons of the theater or pavilion, journey towards the theater entrance with a gradually rising hill flanking to their left, subtly masking the sounds of traffic and river below. To their right, the loading entrance drops deeper into the earth, revealing the historical records of the site in the form of exposed bedrock. A stoic charred black box emerges out the hollowed bedrock forming the shell for the Black box theater, a destination for those seeking fantasy, impression, or discovery.
Framework
Embracing the views from Nepean Point as a tourist destination, and maintaining its topography were of interest. Geological and historical references of the sites vegetation and connection to Major Hills Park were drawn on for how the proposed theatre was envisioned.
Process
a dialog
Through a series of physically-drawn conversations, a cruciform strategy was developed based on key moments of gathering and departure as movement around and to the theater were refined. Both section and plan explorations began addressing how revealing and veiling views, the intervention, and landscape elements could be approached.
the act of discovery
Contrasting the strategies developed in this project, the main (and arguably only) facade was conceived as a double layer of thin wooden fixed louvers that wrap around the upper levels of the lobby.
Asides from providing morning shading, this speaks to the idea of history, geological strata, and parallax effects which were implemented in landscape strategies.
The act of historical discovery through vertical movement into bedrock was translated into horizontal movement as patrons move through the 2m deep facade. Fins becomes exposed and hidden, leading to a semi-open space before entering the buildings vestibule.