Built around the mid-20th century, the building on Loretta Avenue is located
between Mechanicsville and Hintonburg, two neighborhoods associated with
unconventional fabrication and with challenging the future image planned for
Ottawa. This adaptive re-use proposal aims to embrace and celebrate the
uniqueness of the site and the existing building, which can be perceived as a
“not very precious” piece of architecture, by creating a complex where waste
is “designed” to produce building materials, and where scientific research and
public experience all occur at the same location. One of the project’s main
goals is to provide the needed spaces and facilities to turn disposable coffee
to-go cups into construction and building materials, contributing to circular
economy by keeping materials circulating in a technical cycle.
The project consists of three buildings: the existing one and two new -builds.
The existing building houses the factory that would use disposed to-go cups to
create a cellulose – plastic composite, and by pressing or molding under high
pressure and temperature, construction sheets or blocks can be shaped. The
complex includes open public spaces between the three buildings, forming
an unconventional connection between the three buildings, not to mention
an interesting urban space for the public to enjoy and get engaged with the
activities that take place in the three buildings.
