Tabaret Hall New Landscaping/May

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

From the uOttawa Gazette

Tabaret Hall is one of the oldest, most recognizable and historic buildings on campus. As part of a renewal program, Tabaret Hall and the Grande Allée, the main pedestrian walkway in front of it, are getting a new look.

Starting in May, the contractor will be performing facility and grounds retrofitting to address issues such as health and safety (tripping hazards due to deteriorated, uneven hard surfaces), surface drainage, foundation repair, pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and parking control.

The upgrades will consist of the following:
Providing new hard and soft landscaping in front of Tabaret Hall with improved maintenance and activity service points. This will include a new concrete interlock walkway and new soft landscaping with lighting to address safety concerns and aesthetics, and new benching, to match and line up with the existing Grande Allée south of Laurier.
Improving Grande Allée pedestrian accessibility.
Updating campus identification, signage and direction guides.
Completing Tabaret Hall foundation walls repairs and waterproofing (east side only).

As part of the foundation repairs, trees, landscaping and vines on the facade will be removed. The building facade will be cleaned and minor repairs will also be made.

The main lawn will essentially remain as is but will be revamped to include a new lawn irrigation system that will help maintain it and planted areas in good condition and new power distribution points used during special event on the front lawn.

Access to the parking lot A and vehicular traffic on Séraphin Marion will not be possible while work is underway.

Curious about what the new Tabaret and the Grande Allée will look like? Here’s a glance at some renderings of the project!

[Aylmer]

Good on them - that place has been a bit run down and I'm really glad they're adding much-needed spaces to sit. But it seems a little barren with so few trees... They add a richness to a place like nothing else.

However, it doesn't look like they've addressed the fence problem: the fence surrounding the green makes it underused and unbecomingly empty. They should remove it (or at least have open gates during the day) and build paths crisscrossing it and put in lots more benches.

[gjhall]

I wish they would remove parking lot A and install a walkway across the lawn to Cumberland. Sigh.

[Boxster]

Originally Posted by Aylmer

However, it doesn't look like they've addressed the fence problem: the fence surrounding the green makes it underused and unbecomingly empty. They should remove it (or at least have open gates during the day) and build paths crisscrossing it and put in lots more benches.

I totally agree keeping the fence, however have access openings towards the inside lawn.

[c_speed3108]

Yay! Considering this is the U of O's signature building this area has needed some love for years!


I agree on the parking lot removal. It can go since there is now some other parking options at that end of campus such as the garage in the Desmarais building and there is a bit of parking on Seraphin-Marion for short term parking.



I however disagree on the fence. I prefer having the fence as it keeps foot traffic on the grass to a minimum which maintains a better grass quality for people using the space.

[Boxster]

Still have openings in the fence but with well designed pathways that will not encourage walking on the grass.

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

Yay! Considering this is the U of O's signature building this area has needed some love for years!


I agree on the parking lot removal. It can go since there is now some other parking options at that end of campus such as the garage in the Desmarais building and there is a bit of parking on Seraphin-Marion for short term parking.



I however disagree on the fence. I prefer having the fence as it keeps foot traffic on the grass to a minimum which maintains a better grass quality for people using the space.

[Aylmer]

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

I however disagree on the fence. I prefer having the fence as it keeps foot traffic on the grass to a minimum which maintains a better grass quality for people using the space.

That's why they need nicely paved, direct paths so that people wouldn't have to make ad-hoc trails in the grass.

And what is the point of having such nice grass in a public space if we don't want anyone using it? Wouldn't it be more productive then to fence it off completely to keep the grass from getting sat on?
I understand that urban greenspace should be an oasis in the city, but a good urban park doesn't shut people out like a French Garden: it should welcome and accommodate them and harness their presence to make the space truly great. That's how Bryant Park went from a fenced-off needle park (with great grass) to one of the most prized addresses in New York: by welcoming and accommodating.

I'm definitely not saying that the lawn could become Bryant Park (because we are not NYC), but it could definitely become a popular, well-used and well-loved park for the university and the area with some benches, pavers, frequent entrances, movable chairs and pleasant lighting.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by Aylmer

That's why they need nicely paved, direct paths so that people wouldn't have to make ad-hoc trails in the grass.

And what is the point of having such nice grass in a public space if we don't want anyone using it? Wouldn't it be more productive then to fence it off completely to keep the grass from getting sat on?
I understand that urban greenspace should be an oasis in the city, but a good urban park doesn't shut people out like a French Garden: it should welcome and accommodate them and harness their presence to make the space truly great. That's how Bryant Park went from a fenced-off needle park (with great grass) to one of the most prized addresses in New York: by welcoming and accommodating.

I'm definitely not saying that the lawn could become Bryant Park (because we are not NYC), but it could definitely become a popular, well-used and well-loved park for the university and the area with some benches, pavers, frequent entrances, movable chairs and pleasant lighting.

From the article

The main lawn will essentially remain as is but will be revamped to include a new lawn irrigation system that will help maintain it and planted areas in good condition and new power distribution points used during special event on the front lawn.

It would seem that the university has some future uses -events-in mind for that lawn that pathways would not fit with

I will mention that the the old heritage house at the corner of Seraphin-Marion and Cumberland, directly across from the lawn is undergoing 3 million dollars of internal renovations.
It is to become Alumni Hall---housing offices for the university's Alumni Relations Office, The Alumni Association, a meeting room and reception area for visiting alum.

When all this is done , by this fall or early next year, I would not be surprised if another shoe dropped. Closing off Seraphin-Marion to cars, landscaping it, and opening up that end of the lawn to access from the new Pavillion Alumni Hall.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

When all this is done , by this fall or early next year, I would not be surprised if another shoe dropped. Closing off Seraphin-Marion to cars, landscaping it, and opening up that end of the lawn to access from the new Pavillion Alumni Hall.

I certainly hope so. I'd love to see a proper plaza/town square-ish affair in the middle of Campus.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

I understand that more detailed plans for the Alumni Hall will be revealed this week--during uOttawa Alumni Week.--May 9 has been declared uOttawa Alumni Day by the City---wear your Garnet and Grey on that day.

I gather that the renovations will commence very soon after the announcement.

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Here is the announcement of the new Alumni Hall that will be right adjacent to the new landscaping around Tabaret Hall,

One can find more detail of what this new Hall will offer at the web site dedicated to it here:


http://alumni.uottawa.ca/hall

A New Home for University of Ottawa Alumni


OTTAWA, May 11, 2014 — The 190,000 alumni of the University of Ottawa will soon have their own home on campus, the first building dedicated to this purpose since the University's foundation in 1848.

A project to build an Alumni Hall was announced Saturday evening during the Destination 2014 gala that capped off the University’s Alumni Week. The building will be located on Séraphin-Marion Street and will directly face the lawn in front of Tabaret Hall.

“This is a unifying project” said University of Ottawa President Allan Rock. “Located in the heart of campus, the new hall will symbolize the ties that bind our alumni to their alma mater, as well as the appreciation the University has for its proudest ambassadors.”

The Alumni Hall is destined to become a favoured meeting place on campus. It will house reception and conference rooms equipped with the latest multimedia equipment, an alumni wall of fame, and shared workstations for alumni to use when they visit Ottawa or need space to work between meetings downtown.

The Alumni Association’s president invites all alumni to take part in the project. “We've already received many donations from friends and partners of the University,” said Alumni Association President Craig S. Haynes. “The Alumni Association is proud to be one of the project’s most generous supporters, but now we need the support of all our alumni to make this dream come true. I invite each and every one of you to become founding members of this historic project and to use your network of contacts to spread the word!”

At an estimated cost of over $3.5 million, the new hall will be built by renovating and preserving two heritage buildings: Maison Gaston-Héon and the former home of Thomas Foran, the first student to graduate from the University of Ottawa. The new building will also restore an ancient portico, which was demolished long ago, to bring the main building back to its former glory.

Alumni and friends can get a glimpse of the future hall and track its construction on the Alumni Hall web page

This project is made possible through the financial contributions of the Alumni Association, Johnson Inc., MBNA and Canada Life. The University would like to sincerely thank its partners for their generous contributions.

-30-

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

[OTSkyline]

It's okay but what bothers me is there is so many meeting and event facilities on campus already..
-Desmarais
-SITE
-In the new "Vanier Tower"
-Tabaret Hall
Are new "meeting spaces" REALLY necessary? I think there are a lot of other things the University needs that they could be building/spending on..

-Plaza or public gathering spaces for the students
-Residences
-Study spaces (PLEASE!! This was a big problem when I was there a couple of years back)
-4-5 story parking garage? (I mean.. parking is not the ultimate use of space but I am thinknig if they would've built a parkage there, maybe they could eliminate that huge ground level parking in the middle of campus (90U, Library) to build something better there instead).

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

It's okay but what bothers me is there is so many meeting and event facilities on campus already..
-Desmarais
-SITE
-In the new "Vanier Tower"
-Tabaret Hall
Are new "meeting spaces" REALLY necessary? I think there are a lot of other things the University needs that they could be building/spending on..

-Plaza or public gathering spaces for the students
-Residences
-Study spaces (PLEASE!! This was a big problem when I was there a couple of years back)
-4-5 story parking garage? (I mean.. parking is not the ultimate use of space but I am thinknig if they would've built a parkage there, maybe they could eliminate that huge ground level parking in the middle of campus (90U, Library) to build something better there instead).

With a population of 40,000 students and 90,000 alum in the NCR alone there is a lot of demand for meeting/reception facilities.

All those things OTskyline writes of (except a parking garage?) are high on the agenda. The new residence on Henderson is about to start construction soon. Then there are the private-developer residence proposals.

Plazas---the uOttawa Campus Master Plan consultation is asking for suggestions on where to put such open spaces and what should go in them. One can go to the web site and write in suggestions on their blog.
The Tabaret lawn is being rebuilt this summer in a manner so that it can withstand holding events on the Lawn. With the synergy of the indoor space at Alumni Hall opening up to the outdoor space of the Lawn, one can envision alumni events being held there.

Study Spaces--an expanded Morrisset, plus a plan to build The Learning Center behind Lamoureux. Essentially, to house study halls.
Just in the last few days I learned of a plan to tear down the MacDonald Building and The Cube on the science campus--to make room for a building currently called The Science Learning Center. (undergrad labs and study spaces).

[McPwned]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

Just in the last few days I learned of a plan to tear down the MacDonald Building and The Cube on the science campus--to make room for a building currently called The Science Learning Center. (undergrad labs and study spaces).

That certainly piques my curiosity. I had never liked the building while I was at uO, and am looking forward to see what they might build in its place. Though, I couldn't find any articles on this after a quick google - is it just a rumour for now?

[OTSkyline]

What is "The Cube"?

Think they could ever tear down "The Trailer?" Can't believe such a large, reputable canadian university has a mobile trailer in the middle of campus which is actually used for classes and DGD's.

https://maps.google.ca/?ll=45.422638,-75...1z9d01eTJXFwTvMZKQ&cbp=12,162.98,,0,6.35

[J.OT13]

So what, are their no historic interior features worth saving inside Alumni Hall?

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

[QUOTE=J.OT13;6574794]So what, are their no historic interior features worth saving inside Alumni Hall?[/QUOTE

Apparently not -it was in bad shape--the History Dept. that occupied it for the last several years pillaged it
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Cube



You probably will not hear much about MacDonald Bldg, and the Cube until 2-5years.
Probably we see the plans for the new Faculty of Health Sciences at Lees first
before we see any for this part of the science campus.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

Apparently not -it was in bad shape--the History Dept. that occupied it for the last several years pillaged it

Oh the irony!!

[McPwned]

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

What is "The Cube"?

It's a two-story computer lab for science students, situated in front of MacDonald. It looks like a black shed.

Originally Posted by OTSkyline

Think they could ever tear down "The Trailer?" Can't believe such a large, reputable canadian university has a mobile trailer in the middle of campus which is actually used for classes and DGD's.

I had a class in there for a 4000 level course, but the prof got us switched into Lamoureux after one or two sessions. I guess we had to kick out a 1000 level class to get the room. So yeah, no one wants to be in the portable and it's stupid that they can't find (or make) room elsewhere.