Quick EscapeYou’ve asked and we listened! What will the new Ottawa Street YWCA look like? Will it be a building we’ll love to walk into? Walk by? Make use of?
In short, the function and design of Ottawa Street YWCA is informed by the needs of the community. When you said you wanted more community space in the neighbourhood, we incorporated two new community spaces into the design of our new building – one indoors, one outdoors. When you said you wanted a building that was highly sustainable and aesthetically beautiful, we partnered with Kearns Mancini Architects, leaders in Passive House design, who delivered a concept that integrates smoothly and thoughtfully into the surrounding neighbourhood. And when you said you wanted it to be built quickly and efficiently, we called upon Schilthuis Group of Companies for its expertise in construction and Passive House Design to deliver this innovative project.
We’ve come a loooong way since our last community meeting held in the Hamilton Regional Indian Centre, back in October. A recent federal funding announcement gave us a boost of more than $10 million, meaning we’re almost halfway to our goal of just over $22 million.
We are excited to now share with you, the community, renderings of the exterior of the building. And we’d love to introduce you to our building partners.
Meet Ed Starr, one of the founding partners at SHS Consulting. Ed possesses 45 years of professional experience in the housing and planning sectors. Ed has directed the preparation of a wide range of municipal housing strategies in every corner of Canada, as well as policy studies on a host of important housing policy issues.
Meet Henry Schilthuis. Henry became the president of Schilthuis Group of Companies in 2003 and believes that relationships are the strongest foundation for the business. Henry loves to work with his hands and has a gift for matching people to projects.
Also with Schilthuis, Josie Constantini is a certified Passive House consultant with a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Science and a Master’s degree in Building Science (almost) under her belt. Josie enjoys the creative problem solving of Passive House projects.
Meet the folks from Kearns Mancini Architects. With over 40 years of design experience, Jonathan Kearns is a Founding Principal of Kearns Mancini Architects. Jonathan applies his imagination to finding innovative and effective solutions to specific design problems and is also deeply interested in passive energy design, as well as architecture that integrates with nature and landscape.
Natalie Krakovsky recently joined Kearns Mancini Architects after completing her Masters of Architecture degree in 2017 from McGill University in Montreal, and is proficient in digital modeling software, with a particular interest in Passive House design.
The new Ottawa Street YWCA Hamilton directly addresses Hamilton’s affordable housing crisis by creating 50 affordable housing units for women and children – 15 of those units designated for women living with developmental disabilities – in the Crown Point neighbourhood. The new building will also incorporate a multifunctional seniors centre with dedicated kitchen on the ground floor. And the exterior of the building will be flanked by trees and other greenery, including a community garden.
Remember to save the date for Feb.28 when we will share even more details about this exciting project!