Latest news with #designs
CTV News
16-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Free housing unit design plans rolled out in Cape Breton Regional Municipality
It was an open house of sorts on Monday on a new form of housing being proposed for the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM). Fifteen designs, ranging from single units to a six unit multi-plex are now being offered to residents through the federal Housing Accelerator Fund. The designs were on display on Monday outside City Hall in Sydney. Darlene Leblanc, a resident from Gabarus, N.S., said she liked what she saw for the most part, but wondered whether the proposed housing units would work as well for rural living as they might in urban areas. 'Because they want to be able to incorporate the sewage and water, whereas where I'm in a rural area I wanted to get more information on rural,' Leblanc said. 'Because I would have to have a well and septic put in.' The CBRM said the plans are free and were designed to meet local building codes. A spokesperson for CBRM, Jenna MacQueen, added they have also been fast-tracked in hopes people might be able to start building sooner in a city that has been told it needs at least 1,000 new housing units by next year. 'We're hopeful that this will actually help address some of the housing issues people have experienced in the CBRM,' MacQueen said. 'We're hearing of a lot of people who want maybe an accessory dwelling unit in their backyard, but they don't know how much a plan could cost or even where to begin and we're helping to remove that barrier for people.' Northside-area Coun. Gordon MacDonald was also hopeful these types of units might help when it comes to the municipality's housing shortage, even though he had questions at first about how the proposed new units might fit into existing streets and subdivisions. 'Well, I guess initially when any kind of design comes forward you're kind of concerned about how it's going to fit into the neighbourhoods, but these designs are laid out and they look great,' MacDonald said after viewing the designs. 'Most neighbourhoods, they would fit right in.' Leblanc said while she needs more information first, there is another option that might be worth considering for herself. 'Maybe I want to sell a chunk of my land and build a couple of those on it, have a road going and see if it would be worth my while,' she said. The CBRM says more public engagement sessions - as part of its Housing Strategy - are coming up Wednesday and Thursday in Sydney, North Sydney and Glace Bay. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Telegraph
09-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Queen Elizabeth's memorial ‘will remind public why monarchy matters'
When it comes to choosing an appropriate memorial to a dearly loved queen, few are better placed than Lord Robin Janvrin, a trusted aide who worked closely alongside her for two decades. Lord Janvrin, 78, Elizabeth II's former private secretary, is responsible for steering the committee that will assess five shortlisted designs, taking in public opinion before putting a final proposal to the King. But whether it is a giant stone lily pad or a full-size cast of a Windsor great oak, he is determined that the memorial will serve as a reminder of why monarchy matters. 'If you are able to come away from a visit to the memorial with a greater sense of what the Queen was like and what the institution and the monarchy contributes, that would be good,' Lord Janvrin told the Telegraph. 'We must do something to remember a very special person. I think to have something beautiful in a space that she knew very, very well, that is symbolically appropriate to the institution, is something that we're all conscious of.' The five designs shortlisted for the national memorial, which will be built in St James's Park, were revealed last week as a two-week public consultation was launched. They vary widely and include an eye catching canopy of eight sculptural lilies, a depiction of an 900-year-old oak tree representing the late Queen's strength and endurance, audio installations featuring her voice, 'forest bathing' in the city and a stone bridge with cascading water. However, several of the proposals identified specific key themes that shaped the monarch's life, among them the Commonwealth, her faith and her marriage to Prince Philip. 'It's very gratifying, in a sense, because those are the threads in her life that people remember,' Lord Janvrin said. 'One has to see this project as a celebration of her life, but also a memory of what made her so significant in our lives; and it was her values. 'It was her attachment to the common ones, her interest in people and communities, and we've got to reflect that. That's what we hope we will get from this public consultation process.' Lord Janvrin has said that his team will be guided by the late Queen's 'relentless common sense' and her 'practical approach'. He smiled fondly as he recalled such pragmatism, nodding: 'It was very much there.' While he is reluctant to speculate about the kind of memorial the Queen might have chosen, he said the 'practical enhancement' of a Grade I heritage listed park that the Queen could see from Buckingham Palace was fitting. 'The Queen knew the park incredibly well,' he said. 'It's a deeply symbolic area that she will know. It's near the Commonwealth headquarters, she spent time at Clarence House when they were first married, the King and Queen Mother (statues) are down the Mall.' Of the task at hand, he added: 'It has to be worthy of our longest serving and much loved sovereign. 'If we can make it so that people can take what they feel they want from the space, whether it's inspiration, reflection, peace, tranquillity, it'd be brilliant.' The decision to consult the public was set in stone from the beginning. 'She was a very public person, and everyone feels that they knew her,' he added 'So I think the idea that we don't consult the public would be a huge contradiction. 'We must give people a chance to express their views.' While the public may well have a preference for – or an aversion to – any one of the five shortlisted designs, the memorial committee will also take into consideration factors such as technical design points, cost, which Lord Janvrin acknowledged was 'hugely important', and accessibility. Since first meeting last February, the committee has sought an array of views from all four corners of the UK, from historians and academics, such as Dame Mary Beard to environmental experts such as Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England. While it meets every two months or so, its members, who include Labour peer Baroness Amos, the Queen Mother's official biographer Sir William Shawcross, and deputy chief executive of The Diana Award, Alex Holmes, are in touch 'constantly'. They have many more people and organisations to consult before choosing one of the proposals this summer. The final plans will be unveiled to coincide with what would have been the Queen's 100th birthday year in 2026. The King is said to be taking a 'very close interest' in the project and other members of the Royal Family will also be consulted. The committee must also devise a legacy programme that will be centred around the late Queen's interest in communities, which Lord Janvrin said would be a nationwide initiative that 'contributes to the social fabric in some way'. He said he considered it 'an obligation' to chair the committee, describing it as 'an obvious next step' despite it being fairly all-consuming. 'I was very lucky to be asked,' he smiled.
The Independent
07-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Five shortlisted designs for Queen Elizabeth memorial revealed
Five shortlisted designs for a national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II, ranging from a bronze Windsor oak to tranquil royal gardens, have been unveiled. The proposals, unveiled as part of an online public exhibition, offer diverse ways to commemorate the late Queen's life and reign. One concept envisions a bronze cast of a Windsor oak tree, symbolising strength and longevity. Another proposes a vast canopy of stone lily pads, creating a unique architectural space for reflection. A more traditional approach features a statue of Queen Elizabeth II alongside her late husband, Prince Philip. Further ideas incorporate modern elements, such as audio installations featuring recordings of the Queen's voice. Another design draws inspiration from Georgian architect John Nash, proposing romantic royal gardens offering a "forest bathing" experience in an urban setting. A "graceful and strong" stone bridge with cascading water is suggested as a symbolic link between eras. The designs are currently illustrative, with a sculptor to be appointed later. The public can view the proposals and offer feedback until May 19 via the online exhibition managed by Malcolm Reading Consultants. This feedback will play a crucial role in shaping the final memorial. The Queen's former private secretary Lord Janvrin, chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, said: 'Queen Elizabeth II's extraordinary life of service profoundly touched countless individuals, and she was a figure of great respect and admiration. ' Memories of her long reign are still fresh for so many of us and we need to capture the essence of them for future generations.' Lord Janvrin added: 'In recognition of this, it is only fitting that we invite the public to express their views on these design concepts. 'We are delighted to be working with some of the best architects, artists and designers in the world to produce a landmark memorial of outstanding beauty that celebrates and honours the life of Queen Elizabeth II.' Hailed as one of the most significant design initiatives in modern British history, the memorial in St James's Park, close to Buckingham Palace in the heart of London, will provide the public with a permanent memorial to the country's longest-reigning monarch, who died in 2022. A panel of committee members will select the winning concept and work with the team on the final design, which is expected to be unveiled in 2026, which would have been the late Queen's 100th birthday year. The committee will also select an artist, through a separate process, to create a figurative representation of Elizabeth II for the site on The Mall in central London. What are the five shortlisted Queen memorials? The five design concepts are: 1. A 'tranquil family' of royal gardens inspired by John Nash's original landscape of the park, linked by a natural stone tessellated path by Lord Foster of Foster + Partners with artist Yinka Shonibare, ecologist Professor Nigel Dunnett and landscape architect Michel Desvigne Paysagiste. Other elements include a statue of the Queen alongside Philip on Birdcage Walk next to a Prince Philip Gate and, on the other side of the park, an equestrian statue of the Queen in a new civic space called Queen Elizabeth II Place at Marlborough Gate. The plans also incorporate a contemporary wind sculpture for reflection, audio installations of the Queen's voice, a digital conservatory and a translucent Unity Bridge. 2. Bridge of Togetherness – A memorial walk inspired by the idea of 'togetherness' with 70 lily pad stepping stones by Heatherwick Studio with sculptor and ceramicist Halima Cassell, MRG Studio, Webb Yates and Arup. At the centre of the bridge is a limestone sculpture of the late Queen, whose childhood nickname was Lilibet, protected by a giant canopy of eight carved sculptural lily pads, with the stone chosen because it will 'age with dignity'. 3. An innovative stone bridge over soil, tree roots and water, featuring a gentle cascade of water onto the lake, to represent the late Queen as the bedrock of the nation has been designed by J&L Gibbons with production designer Michael Levine, and William Matthews Associates. It aims to capture a 'meandering flow of geology carrying people through an ephemeral choreography of blossoming and colour beneath the high tree canopy' and includes glades to invite 'forest bathing in the heart of the city'. 4. The Queen's Oak – An exact bronze cast of an 'awe-inspiring' ancient oak from Windsor Great Park, representing the late Queen's strength and endurance and symbolising the monarchy, is the central focus of a design by Tom Stuart-Smith with Jamie Fobert Architects and artist Adam Lowe of Factum Are. The digitally scanned replica tree would stand on a plinth in the lake, with a curved stone bridge as a viewing platform. There would also be a serpentine memorial path, for all ages and abilities, which incorporates inlaid bronze casts of significant objects from the late Queen's life and a 'sonic soundscape' of memories from those she impacted. 5. A thread of pathways and landscapes 'gently woven through the natural fabric' of the park with a pair of 'elegant bridges' have been suggested by WilkinsonEyre with artists Lisa Vandy and Fiona Clarke. Aiming to impose the 'lightest footprint' on the park, the thread, with symbolic spaces for reflection, focuses on seven themes of the late Queen's life – reign, faith, Commonwealth, values, nature, family, and Prince Philip. The final design will be submitted to the King and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer for approval.
