National Capital Commission Competition [NCC]

Urban Design Challenge.

Gatineau Park Visitor Centre/ 2020
Cat Daigle/ Lauren Carr

Proposal

“Like the slow-moving current of the river,
Our visitors centre aims to spill into the site – guided by its existing topography,
Drawing its visitors into natures true form.”

What the current visitors centre lacks – is not only a connection to the landscape - but allows for moments of human interaction within the natural environment. We are proposing a visitor’s centre that is not separate from – but integrated into each moment: The Landscapes of the Interior.

Community Aspect

“For you are as much of this landscape as the tall grasses and burrowing beaver.”

Aware of the difference between them and us, 
Responsive to each given condition:
Both natural and man-made.
Mindful that this land is not solely ours to forfeit, 
and not ours to give up on,
This park is not to be a pass-through or skip over, but a transition from our hectic lives,
Into a more connected way of living. 

Departure:

“To be able to leave,
Having felt something,
That very well may resemble in shape and size,
To that of a stone or leaf,
Holding weight in the bottom of your pocket,
Serving as something to remember this place by,
Stands as an opportunity for moments of reflection and reconciliation to occur:
Of us and of our landscapes.”