On the lower levels, the luxury le Germain Hotel will bring a vibrant presence to the area, while the Ottawa Art Gallery's Firestone Collection of Contemporary Canadian Art — featuring over 1,600 works by influential Canadian artists, including Maxwell Bates, Edwin Colgate, Arthur Lismer, Henri Masson, Marian Scott, and Philip Surrey — will finally have a prominent and worthy place at street level. The new gallery "will provide a much bigger space to display the collection," Côté notes.

The collection is currently housed in a too-small 10,000-square-foot space next door in the Arts Court building, so the OAG's new 43,000-square-foot home will allow the gallery to display far more of its collection at once. As a mixed-use development, the inclusion of a notable cultural institution lends the project an uncommon cachet, and the hotel on the project's lower levels helps ensure ongoing street-level vibrancy.

Interior rendering of the gallery cafe, image courtesy of DevMcGill

"Having a luxury hotel also means that common areas and landscaping are always maintained to a very high standard," even as the building ages, Côté adds. Though mixed-use developments are becoming increasingly common across North America, Côté emphasizes that ArtHaus is the first to offer both the street-level vibrancy of a hotel and the cultural interest of an art gallery.

The development capitalizes on its location near Ottawa's popular Byward Market while offering a potential destination status in its own right. "If residents have guests, they can easily stay at the hotel just downstairs," Côté tells us, adding that the development's "88 suites are configured in such a way that a buyer can combine separate suites to make larger units." The flexibility of suite configurations also means that the building is able to adapt as housing needs change, an important advantage that prominent Dutch architect Nathalie de Vries of MVRDV has recently described as lacking across much of North America. 

A look at one of the upcoming gallery spaces, image courtesy of DevMcGill

Through the ambitious nature of its mixed-use programming and its flexible configurations, the project sets an interesting precedent for new development. In particular, the cultural programming facilitated by the gallery reflects urbanist Richard Florida's belief that "the most sophisticated developers know that long-term value comes from creating great neighbourhoods, not just great buildings."

The cultural vibrancy and suite flexibility — together with the ongoing maintenance of public spaces facilitated by the presence of the hotel — combine to create a long-term vision for DevMcGill's project, a relative rarity in today's fast-paced condominium market. Currently under construction, the building is expected to reach grade by this spring, with completion targeted for late 2017.

Another angle of the tower, image courtesy of DevMcGill

To get a broader understanding of the project within the context of Ottawa's ongoing wave of urban intensification, our sister site UrbanToronto's editorial takes a look at the project as a particular highlight of the city's re-urbanization. 

For more information and additional renderings, make sure to check out our associated Database file. Want to join in the conversation? Feel free to leave a comment below or contribute to the ongoing discussion in our associated Forum thread.