Lansdowne Park has been a prime exhibition and

DOWNE ISLAND
RIDEAU CANAL
PIG ISLAND
COL. BY
Lansdowne Park has been a prime exhibition
and events destination for people from
within the National Capital Region and from
throughout eastern Ontario and western
Quebec. This success was built on the
unique intersection of public, semi-public
and private activities that made the park a
larger-than-life affair.The use of the name
‘Central Canada Exhibition Association’
reflects the confident regionalism of its
founders. Win Place Show ensures that
the unique public/private partnership will
continue in a way that is seamless and
confident, re-creating the sense of a single
but culturally-rich destination.
ECHO DR.
PASARELLE ABERDEEN
The new bridge crossing the Rideau Canal connects the neighbourhoods of Old Ottawa South
and Old Ottawa East to Lansdowne Park and the Glebe neighbourhood to the north. On axis
with the south entrance to the Aberdeen Pavilion, the bridge makes a direct statement about the
centrality of the Aberdeen (both physically and programmatically) to the life of the overall park.
The bridge is purposefully contemporary in expression, emphasizing the need for an approach
to the park that speaks to the present as much as it does to the past. Its foundations are placed
outside of the 30 m canal setback which results in a large span supported with 2 interconnected
arcs and secondary trusses beneath. The first arc skims over the northern berm, while the second spans the entire canal. The bridge acts as both passage and gathering place, and along the
stadium, it extends overhead into the Screen, creating a backdrop of ambient imagery for the
Great Lawn.
PARKS CANADA INTERPRETATION
AND LEARNING CENTRE
ALGONQUIN PAVILION
water quality, conserve water and energy, and solve
stacked infiltration / storage system is used, as well
Win Place Show’s public art strategy is composed of two major elements: the Beacon and the Screen
– both of which represent an urban scaled celebration of water and the Rideau Canal revealed through
human experience.
free flowing water
warm red glow
frozen ice wall
seasonal colour
water mist
mirrored surface
rapids
lock release
ripples
SPRING
AUTUMN
WINTER
SUMMER
cool blue glow
THE SCREEN
The large Screen, integrated into the Aberdeen Pasarelle, will reference the
transformative qualities of water during different times of the day and through the
changing seasons. Drawn from the experiences of traveling on Ottawa’s waterways in
varied watercraft over hundreds of years, the screen will project an atmosphere of the
textures, patterns, movement and reflections of water at a giant scale. From the still
mirrored surfaces that perfectly reflect images of the surrounding context, to water
spilling out of the locks, rapids entering along the canal edges, and wakes caused by
wind and boats, the continual but slowly changing film will be an ephemeral catalogue
of the varied states and effects of a 10 day water journey along the Rideau Canal.
Seen from the Great Lawn, the Aberdeen Pavilion, the canal, Lansdowne Island and the
Aberdeen Pasarelle, the Screen will serve as a meditative and experiential backdrop
for the daily activities in the park, connecting the past to the present through an
infinitely mutable but powerful experience that remains through time.
FILM STILLS
Although people’s relationship to water on the site has changed dramatically over time, water’s unique
characteristics and our experience of it remain sentient. Humans continue to be awed and inspired by
encounters with sunlight glistening across gentle water ripples and the painterly reflections that water
can arrange from its surroundings. We are also amazed by water’s transformation into a cold and fragile
glass-like state in the winter and into wafting misty clouds of fog on cool autumn mornings – transformations particularly evident given Ottawa’s seasonal temperature swing of over 80 degrees.
5m
Water collected from the Rideau Canal is filtered
through a bio-filtration bed on the new island before
making its way to the Beacon. The filtered water is
UV purified within the tower before being released
at the top of the sculpture.The inner surface of the
tower, visible behind a textured veil-like outer surface will change colour seasonally through the use
of integrated LED lights. During the hot summer
months, the purified water will cascade down over
a cool, bluish hued surface of the Tower creating an
engaging water play element and a refreshing oasis.
During the winter months, water will slowly freeze
over the tower’s textured surface; a warm reddish
glow transforms it into a radiant ice hearth that
becomes the focal point for its surrounding inland
skating rink. In the spring and fall, small nozzles at
the base of the sculpture will emit ethereal clouds
of mist over a glowing layer of pink and purple light
that recalls the wafting fog curling off the inky water of the canal during brisk mornings.
PUBLIC ART
The name ‘Ontario’ is derived from the Iroquois word Skanadario which means ‘beautiful water’. Lansdowne Park’s history and culture is inextricably linked to water. The public art concept for Win Place
Show interprets the historical relationship between the Canal and the site by re-establishing a multilayered metaphorical and a physical connection between them.
4m
27m
THE BEACON
A large iconic tower located within the Water Plaza reflects a distinctive moment from Lansdowne’s
exposition history and creates a strong marker
for the revitalized park that is directly on axis with
both the Glebe and the Parliament Buildings. The
dynamic, interactive sculptural element is activated and transformed by water throughout the day
and night and in all seasons, reflecting the powerful
relationship that people have always had with this
transformative element.
TOWER PLAN SCALE 1:100
RIDEAU CANAL
SITE FOOTPRINT
TOWER
EASEMENTS + OWNERSHIP Green zones
represent areas under the responsibility/ownership
of NCC. Brown zones represent areas under the
responsibility/ownership of Parks Canada. Blue
zones represent areas under the responsibility of
OSEG and the City of Ottawa.
PHASE 1
Create the Front Lawn / Engage the Canal
PHASE 2
Set the Stage / Connect the Aberdeen Pavilion
WATER STORAGE
PHASE 3
Expand the Park / Enrich the Community
PHASE 4
Fulfill the Vision / Integrate the City
PARK IRRIGATION
COMPLETION
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