Design for new Canadian Navy memorial chosen

A bit abstract, still...

The winning design for a new national monument in Ottawa honouring Canada's navy was unveiled Thursday.

The design, which incorporates the naval colours of black, white and gold, was the work of a team from the Vancouver area.

"For us to be able to design a place within Confederation Boulevard, we're humbled by the privilege of that," said Bruce Haden, an architect on the winning team. "I think the navy is an extraordinarily important institution in a country like ours and is an institution that is under-recognized."

Two team members spent a day on a naval ship off Vancouver Island, searching for inspiration.

They noticed a white globe on top of many ships holding the communications system. As a result, the team incorporated a globe into the monument's main structure and used the naval colours of black, white and gold.

"To be on a navy vessel is a totally different experience," said Al McWilliams, the team's artist. "Their communication seemed to be very complex and really rich."

The monument will also include a granite threshold surrounded by a group of oak trees, representing the wood historically used to construct many navy ships.

Almost 50 design proposals were submitted in a competition earlier this year, and they were then narrowed down to five finalists.

A panel of five people judged the proposals.

Lorraine Pierce-Hull, National Capital Commission co-ordinator of commemorations and public art, praised the design by Haden, McWilliams and teammate Joost Bakker for its "subtle symbolism."

Construction will begin next spring and the monument is to be unveiled in the spring of 2011. The total cost for design and construction is around $1.3 million.

More:

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Winning design to be installed by Ottawa River at end of fleet's centennial year [more here and here on the centennial]

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The monument will be erected on Richmond Landing, which is just behind the Library and Archives Building at the west end of Parliament Hill.