Livable City Design Awards

Option 1

156 Albert St., Endaayaan-Tkanonsote (Queen’s Residence). This 334-room student residence at Queen’s University is a LEED Gold building that sets a high standard for sustainability and cultural inclusion with modern amenities to attract students. It carefully retains two history masonry homes and is crafted to fit into its streetscape through its use of materials, scale and positioning.

Option 2

740 Augusta Dr., Augusta Glen Condominiums. This 41-unit luxury condo development building was designed to fit the site perfectly both with Bert Meunier Common and with the laneway homes adjacent. The varied brick and stone, height and scale were carefully considered to maintain the neighbourhood feel.

Option 3

Bath Rd., multiuse path. This project added 1.7 kilometers of active transportation infrastructure on Bath Road, between Collins Bay Road and Coverdale Drive, filling a gap in the Waterfront Trail that previously lacked cycling facilities, thereby creating a more vibrant waterfront and better connections.

Option 4

487 Brock St., Victoria Park. This full park renovation included a new splash pad, new tennis and basketball courts, new BBQ and gathering space, renovated park washroom building and accessible pathways, with more than 120 native trees planted and a playful water conservation garden.

Option 5

671 Brock St., Napier Street Park. A new neighbourhood park developed from a former public street and school site, this space includes a playground, gathering space, basketball court, bicycle pathway, artful hard surface painting, new trees and planting and free open lawn space. This community scale improvement project reinforced the sense of place and visual identity.

Option 6

847 Development Dr., Creekside Suites. This is a four-storey purpose-built rental with 169 apartments. The building boasts a sleek, modern design with clean lines and a unique façade that fits seamlessly into the surrounding low-density neighborhood.

Option 7

481 Discovery Ave., Carpenter’s Union Local 249. This building, entirely built by union trades, sets a new standard for industrial buildings. It celebrates the art and craft of carpenters though the use of heavy timber structures, custom wood doors, a custom 20-foot-long solid walnut boardroom table, grills and lattice work and fine millwork and other features that highlight carpentry materials and systems.

Option 8

703 Division St. City of Kingston Fleet Services. This new facility, with its a contemporary architectural design and high energy efficiency, brings notable urban design merits. Its modern aesthetics enhance the visual appeal of the urban landscape, setting a benchmark for architectural standards. The facility's energy-efficient features, like advanced lighting and renewable energy integration, reduce its ecological footprint while showcasing the municipality's commitment to sustainability.

Option 9

501 Frontenac St., The Frontenac Condominiums. This 99-unit condominium has a sleek, modern design and provides an impressive addition to the streetscape. Wood construction minimize environmental impacts and improves affordability for residents.

Option 10

77-79 Gore St., Private Residences. This restoration of a heritage double limestone cottage that was sadly derelict saved the structure from demolition. With simplicity and respect for materials, two rental units now combine contemporary flair with sensitivity to the past.

Option 11

2291 Highway 2, Grass Creek Park washroom facilities. Incorporating washrooms, change rooms and mechanical facilities, this repurposed post and beam structure is reminiscent of a barn and complements the agrarian and logging history of the area and adjacent MacLachlan Woodworking museum.

Option 12

779 Highway 15, Kingston East Community Centre. With a contemporary design and innovative sustainable features, this community facility provides a central hub for residents to gather, interact and build connections in a flexible and dynamic space that is a venue for recreation, education, arts, and more.

Option 13

800 Innovation Dr., industrial building. This project sets a new standard of design excellence for large-span industrial buildings in Kingston with functional, cost-effective industrial space with large, flexible high bays and generous windows providing natural light.

Option 14

John Counter Blvd., road reconstruction and bridge. John Counter Boulevard is a major east-west route that links to other major arterials. The project included a new three-span bridge over the CN Rail corridor and Little Cataraqui Creek with all ages and abilities intersections and buffered bike lanes, supporting active transportation.

Option 15

130 Johnson St., Bishop House. The beautifully restored Bishop’s House is at the heart of the 16-branch Kingston Frontenac Public Library system. Work included roof replacement, stone and lintel repair and replacement, window restoration and replacement and repair and repainting of wooden elements.

Option 16

130 Johnson St., Central Branch – Kingston Frontenac Public Library. The renovation and revitalization of the Central Branch honoured original design principles while shifting the library architecture and service philosophy from hushed book warehouses to dynamic community hubs. The activities and services in the building are now more open, engaging, and interactive from the street.

Option 17

225 King St. East, Frontenac Club. Originally two separate buildings sharing a common wall occupied the property. This sensitive restoration and rehabilitation connected the two to provide a total of 20 guest rooms, dining room, bar, kitchen and staff facilities as well as an exterior patio area for dining and entertainment.

Option 18

200 King St. West, Breakwater Park. The renovation of Breakwater Park included shoreline and park improvements, and upgrades to the area now known as Gord Edgar Downie Pier including a pedestrian promenade and footbridge, pathways and seating, a shade structure and engineered pebble beach, lounging terraces with deep-water swimming opportunities, an upland sand beach, and pathway lighting.

Option 19

355 King St. West, St. Mary’s on the Lake. The extensive renovation and adaptive reuse of the existing heritage building, with a significantly smaller greenhouse gas footprint than for new construction and including universal accessibility, consolidates Queen’s University administrative functions and improves operating efficiencies.

Option 20

661 King St. West and 54 Kennedy Road, private residence. This intensive renovation of a heritage residential property on a historic street has given longevity to the building while intensifying its occupancy without compromising the scale of the built form. Extensive landscape design, an entry walk and gardens focus the property entry off Kennedy Street.

Option 21

145 Kirkpatrick St., Kingston Secondary School. The design approach for this replacement school realizes a denser and more compact “superblock” configuration, maximizing the site area by stacking the programs in a three-storey central academic block and an adjacent two-storey recreation/tech block. The arching form creates a strong visual backdrop for the athletics precinct and a powerful urban form along the Kirkpatrick Street approach.

Option 22

85 MacCauley St., Rideau Heights Community Centre. Part of the Rideau Heights Regeneration Plan, this energy-efficient centre addresses the community’s lack of a central hub for social, recreational and educational activities, integrating a library, public school and shared space into a vibrant resource for the surrounding community.

Option 23

110 MacCauley St., Shannon Park. Part of a long-term vision for investment in the Rideau Heights community, improvements to this community park included the creation of a new public road, improved pedestrian connections, a new skate park, basketball court, playgrounds, pathways and seating, community gardens and renovated sports fields.

Option 24

26-28 Maitland St., Private Residence. This home, now two residences, has been a stable, a garage, servant and student residence, and residential apartments. Renovations addressed significant structural and code deficiencies, exposed steel and timber framing and limestone walls, and incorporated a modern open plan.

Option 25

1040 Mona Drive, Highgate Creek Pedestrian Crossing. Upgrading this connection from four undersized culverts addresses public safety and maintenance concerns related to a creek crossing that would frequently wash out after heavy rainfall events. Encouraging active transportation, accessibility and natural materials and native plantings are key features of the rejuvenated pathway.

Option 26

Ontario St., Water Snake – art installation. Water Snake is a series of 3D-printed concrete structures referencing nautical elements. It invites passersby to interact, engage and discover a new view of Kingston’s waterfront.

Option 27

100 Portsmouth Ave. Newcourt House. Newcourt House was once the primary residence on the farm lot that became part of St. Lawrence College. The historic building has been transformed into a relevant part of campus now used for studying children.

Option 28

100 Portsmouth Ave., Hello Future (St. Lawrence College). This large addition to St. Lawrence College, certified LEED Gold, is a restrained, minimalist style. It carefully incorporates athletic, academic and student life facilities in a modern, accessible, sustainable space.

Option 29

101 Princess St., Scotiabank Building. The new Scotiabank is a high-quality and high-performance building scaled and styled to respond to the context of the historic Princess St. streetscape, mixing traditional and modern elements and considering the potential of future repurposing.

Option 30

120 Princess St., The Screening Room. The Screening Room is the only downtown venue for viewing independent and mainstream films. The interior and exterior renovation and expansion revealed a remarkable architectural jewel concealed for 60 years by steel cladding.

Option 31

499 Princess St., The 449 – Condominiums. This six-storey residential building is an ingenious re-purposing of an existing office building. It provides transition from larger scale buildings to the west and lower scale buildings to the east, with terraces and commercial space at grade to connect and animate the street.

Option 32

652 Princess St., Sage Kingston – Condominiums. Sage is a 10-storey building that compliments the surrounding heritage properties and provides 325 residential condos, addressing the supply shortage of housing in the community. Along the street, the completely restored Karnofski Bakery and 14 retail condos contribute to the local community.

Option 33

221 Queen St., Sanctuary Co-working and Smith Hotel. This adaptive reuse of the historically designated former Queen Street United Church now incorporates a 10-room Smith Hotel and the Sanctuary Co-working Space, while retaining much of the original 1886 exterior.

Option 34

305 Rideau St., The Broom Factory. The Broom Factory transforms and reimagines an abandoned heritage brownfield site into a neighborhood asset, a commercially-oriented commercial building focused on the arts and culture scenes that is of the highest quality with respect for the environment.

Option 35

84-90 Rose Abbey Dr., Habitat Townhouses. A City of Kingston and Habitat for Humanity collaboration to bring four affordable townhomes to the community. Contextually appropriate and built for sustainability and energy efficiency for economic and environmental reasons.

Option 36

69 Union St., Mitchell Hall. Home of the new student health and wellness, athletic and academic facilities, Mitchell Hall is designed for a collision of uses in academic and social realms on campus with universal accessibility. Restoration included re-opening windows and restoration of the slate roof and limestone cladding.

Option 37

333 University Ave. and 495 Princess St., Unity Point and Unity Place. These two sleek, modern, multi-amenity mixed-use 11-storey residential buildings with 399 units and commercial units at street level serve as a new gateway to the campus from Princess Street.

Option 38

Waaban Crossing, bridge. In the making since the 1950s, Waaban Crossing is a major achievement in the world of context-sensitive and innovative design, bridging a UNESCO designated landmark, accommodating water users, and providing new connections and perspectives.

Option 39

168 Wellington St., the Wilson Building. The renovation and transformation of this heritage-designated round corner building (one of three downtown) keeps as much of the original materials as possible, transforming a former bank into a restaurant (with a kitchen in the former vault) and new residential units.

Option 40

171 Wellington St., the Kensington. This 6-storey mixed use project consists of additions to and reconstruction of a historic block of three former buildings at the corner of Brock and Wellington Streets, transforming it from an example of historic design meets modern architecture. The ground floor contains a series of commercial and retail spaces, with 26 unique apartments above.

Option 41

27 Wright Cres., apartment building. This three-storey, 40-unit apartment building is centrally located and provides well designed affordable housing with high end finishes close to amenities such as schools, shopping, a public library, YMCA and transit. The high quality of the design demonstrates that affordable housing can fit well with and enhance its neighborhood.

Option 42

Yonge St., Portsmouth Olympic Harbour Pathway. In 2019, large storm events compromised the integrity of the pathway between Portsmouth Olympic Harbour and Lake Ontario Park. Upgrades included widening the waterfront pathway, reducing pathway slopes to make the path more accessible, adding new lookouts, gathering areas, seating, planting and landscaping.

Option 43

93 Yonge St., Coast Guard Search and Rescue Station. Replacing an outdated station, this new facility echoes that of a ship and displays the Canadian Coast Guard’s iconic red and white colours, supporting a connected and positive presence on the east side of the harbour and enhancing operational effectiveness.