2025 Urban Design Awards

Date: Monday, May 26, 2025

Time: Doors open at 5:00 p.m., ceremony begins at 5:30 p.m. and ends at 7:00 p.m.

Location: Paul O'Regan Hall, Halifax Central Library (5440 Spring Garden Road, Halifax)

More Information

• This event is free and open to the general public. No registration is required.
• This venue is wheelchair accessible.
• Refreshments will be offered at this event.

A panel of four independent jurors will evaluate the 2025 Urban Design Awards submissions and select winners for each award category. The juror biographies are included below.

Antonio Gόmez-Palacio

Urban Design Awards Jury Chair

MES | Arq | RPP | FCIP | FRAIC

Chair, DIALOG – Toronto, Ontario

Antonio is internationally recognized for transforming cities into vibrant urban places that respond to their social, economic, and environmental context. As DIALOG Chair, his mission is to deliver design solutions to the many challenges we face globally. He is frequently called upon to lead conversations on how the built environment can contribute to community wellbeing. Antonio inspires leaders to achieve meaningful impact through various topics: housing affordability, city livability, climate adaptation, social equity and wellbeing, heritage, and sustainability. He became a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada College in 2018 and Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) in 2024, recognized for his outstanding contributions to the design community.

Sarah Anderson

MCIP | RPP

Manager of Development Planning – Moncton, New Brunswick

Sarah’s breadth of experience ranges from planning and place-making in a rural municipal context, to conservation planning and regional policy analysis at the provincial level, and development planning in a rapidly urbanizing city. Sarah’s current position with the City of Moncton focuses on ensuring that decisions on new growth and development respect the priorities of environmental sustainability, a safe and vibrant public realm, meeting the housing need, and maintaining community integrity. Sarah is a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, sits as a Board of Director with the Council for Canadian Urbanism, and she sits as a juror for the Atlantic Planners Institute Planning Excellence Awards.

Camille Mitchell

OAA | FRAIC

Architect, SvN Architects + Planners – Toronto, Ontario

Camille Mitchell is an Architect at SvN Architects + Planners in Toronto and a passionate advocate for equity in architecture. As a founder of Building Equality in Architecture Toronto and the Black Architects and Interior Designers Association, she promotes mentorship, networking, and leadership opportunities for women and underrepresented groups in the profession. She is also a member of the Urban Land Institute's Women in Leadership Initiative Championship Team, working to advance women in real estate and construction.

In addition to her professional contributions, Camille is a sessional lecturer at the Creative School at Toronto Metropolitan University and serves on the Advisory Board for the University of Waterloo School of Architecture’s Racial Equity and Environmental Justice program. In these roles, she helps shape inclusive curricula and drive meaningful change. Camille’s impactful efforts underscore her dedication to fostering opportunity and equity within the built environment and beyond.

Nathan MacLeod

APALA | CSLA | LPP | MCIP

Landscape Architect, UPLAND Planning + Design Studio – Halifax, Nova Scotia

Nathan has a genuine interest in the people and places around him. This natural curiosity led him to study community design at Dalhousie University and also landscape architecture at the University of Manitoba. With this multidisciplinary background, Nathan is a well-rounded individual who is equally comfortable discussing design at all scales, from the region down to the site. He is a firm believer in the value of the participatory design process, believing that the best designs are only possible when end users are meaningfully involved throughout the design process. As well as being a full member of the Atlantic Provinces Association of Landscape Architects, Nathan is also a Licensed Professional Planner. His education in planning and landscape architecture has been supplemented by over a decade of experience in municipal and consulting roles working on projects throughout the Atlantic Provinces.

Category Description: a building (or group of buildings) of high architectural standards which achieves urban design excellence through its relationship with its immediate surroundings because of its site, massing, and pedestrian amenities or green building design. The building will also contribute to defining a special relationship with the neighbouring urban fabric.

(S)Efficient

Project applicant: RHAD Architects

Applicant statement: The (s)efficient house, a blend of efficient and sufficient, was designed for a couple seeking to downsize. This compact net-zero energy home redefines comfort while minimizing environmental impact. The home’s design is a testament to efficiency, spatially, economically, and environmentally. Its 960 sq. ft. layout is meticulously planned, with vaulted ceilings and dual-aspect windows that maximize natural light and passive solar gain. The project is a two-bedroom, 1 1/2-bath home with ample storage from both built-in solutions throughout the home. 

Cunard Residences

Project applicant: Zeidler Architecture Inc.

Applicant statement: Located on the iconic Cunard Block, Cunard Residences transforms the Halifax boardwalk with a dynamic development blending architectural excellence and community vitality. This mixed-use development activates the Samuel Cunard Quay urban plaza, bringing density as a vibrant hub that maintains a pedestrian-friendly scale. Thoughtfully designed to embrace the site’s natural slope, Cunard enhances connectivity through multiple entrances, engaging programming, and distinctive architectural features. Reflecting Halifax’s urban vision, its Complete Streets approach introduces a dynamic mix of retail, commercial, office, and live-work spaces, enriching the streetscape. Integrating seamlessly with its surroundings, Cunard Residences elevates the waterfront experience for residents and visitors.

Graham's Grove

Project applicant: RHAD Architects

Applicant statement: Graham’s Grove Pavilion, located along Banook Lake in Dartmouth, has redefined the precedent of buildings found in park settings - from defensive, concrete block facades, to warm and welcoming activators of the public realm. Inspired by Mi’kmaq history along the canal system, the dual structures create a welcoming community hub that the community has embraced. Wood cladding, slatted façades, and large window expanses, allow program transparency by day and for the buildings to glow like lanterns at night, enhancing the pedestrian experience along the lake. Emphasizing sustainability and inclusivity, Graham’s Grove Pavilion promotes community engagement through adaptable spaces for events and recreation, fostering a deeper connection to the site’s historical and current significance. 

Halifax Commons Pool Pavilion

Project applicant: Abbott Brown Architects

Applicant statement: The design of the Pool Pavilion points to a new direction of use for an historic space, by increasing the density and variety of outdoor programs while creating more opportunities for active and passive leisure. Taking a pedestrian-first approach to planning, the facility is conceived as a ‘park building’ that organizes site circulation and strategically places this amenity to support park activities. The pavilion’s profile is low and discreet with landscape elements strategically arranged around it. As an intentional departure from the use of masonry or metal claddings of urban civic structures, the Pavilion is clad entirely in local eastern white cedar, left to weather naturally. 

Keshen Goodman Public Library Expansion & Renovation

Project applicant: Fathom Studio

Applicant statement: Fathom Studio’s expansion of the Keshen Goodman Public Library transforms it into a vibrant, inclusive space that reflects the evolving needs of the Clayton Park community. The design enhances accessibility, strengthens public connections, and introduces dynamic spaces for all ages, including study pods, a teen zone, and interactive children’s areas. The library’s signature tree-like columns remain a focal point, complemented by biophilic elements and intuitive wayfinding. Improved sightlines, flexible programming areas, and a welcoming outdoor plaza ensure the library remains a vital civic hub—supporting learning, social connection, and engagement for one of Halifax’s most diverse neighborhoods.

Banook Judging Tower

Project applicant: RHAD Architects

Applicant statement: By blending heritage with innovation, the Banook Judging Tower sets a new benchmark for architectural and environmental excellence in the HRM's urban landscape. The tower, often featured in local branding and imagery, remains a recognizable landmark, now reinvigorated with improved safety, sustainability, and visual appeal. At night, the illuminated structure serves as a glowing 'lantern on the lake,' reinforcing its identity as a civic beacon. It ensures that Lake Banook remains a vibrant hub of community life, gathering, competition, and cultural significance for future generations.

Cunard Street Live / Work / Grow

Project applicant: Fowler Bauld & Mitchell Ltd. 

Applicant statement: FBM’s new Cunard Street studio integrates working, living, and growing while helping lower carbon emissions. It transforms a vacant brownfield site into a vibrant, sustainable mixed-use space in the heart of Halifax. Through the use of mass timber, this project addresses the gap in local knowledge and helps to de-risk this material to create daylight-filled studio spaces, seven residential units, and a rooftop garden and courtyard that prioritize well-being. Blending architecture with nature, social interaction, and knowledge mobilization, this project exemplifies sustainable urban design—where living, working, and growing are stitched together for a more connected, resilient urban future.

Category Description: civic improvement projects such as parks, public space, civil engineering or environmental infrastructure, streetscape design, etc. which have been implemented as a result of a larger urban design plan or initiative and that make a positive contribution to environmental and climate change goals of the municipality. 

Reimagining Cogswell Park

Project applicant: OSO planning + design

Applicant statement: The reimagining of Cogswell Park, what was once an underutilized and uninviting space connecting many Halifax neighbourhoods, has turned the area into a beautiful, inviting, and accessible area for community members to spend time, feel safe, and enjoy nature. The addition of the boardwalk and tree lighting features has transformed the area and created a new space for community members to gather. With improved accessibility, lighting, clear pathways, and nature remaining undisturbed, the transformation of Cogswell Park has turned an underutilized space into an inviting and safe place for community members to pass through or spend their time.

Imagine Spring Garden

Project applicant: Halifax Regional Municipality

Applicant statement: Spring Garden Road is one of the region's busiest pedestrian shopping streets and a major corridor for Halifax Transit. Anchored by the popular Central Library at one end and the spectacular Public Gardens at the other, it is an important place within our city. To emphasize this important street, and to create better spaces for people to spend time, the four blocks between South Park and Queen Street were redesigned. This included widening the sidewalks and adding pavers, undergrounding of all wiring, and the addition of many planters, trees, and seating down the corridor, giving people the option to linger.

Category Description: projects that deliver housing in a creative way. Priority is given to infill projects or plans that prioritize affordability and groups that face greater housing challenges. Examples include but are not limited to: secondary and backyard suites, shared housing, housing plans, supportive housing projects, cluster housing and other low-rise and “missing middle” housing forms.

Fairfax Homes

Project applicant: Akoma Holdings Inc.

Applicant statement: Akoma Holdings Inc. manages 320 acres of Black community land in Westphal, near the historic Preston Township. Committed to economic and social development for African Nova Scotians, Akoma has a multi-year plan for the land’s growth. The first major project was the restoration of the H.G. Bauld Centre, followed by the opening of Kinney Place, a Black Business Incubator Hub, in 2022. In 2023, eight deeply affordable homes were completed for Black families, with further plans for additional housing and another business hub. Akoma’s mission is to steward its assets to create meaningful economic and social opportunities for the African Nova Scotian community.
 

John Street Infill

Project applicant: Solterre Design

Applicant statement: The John Street Infill Project sets a precedent for gentle density in neighborhoods characterised by small narrow urban lots. This North End home fits snugly between its neighbours, aligning with its existing context and providing warmth to the street. The house creatively accommodates two independent suites, a spacious upper two-storey unit and an efficient main floor secondary suite, creating two new housing units on a previously vacant lot. Each suite has its own independence with a front door on the street, ample natural light and access to outdoor living spaces at each level. 

Mount Hope Village 

Project applicant: YWCA Halifax 

Applicant statement: Mount Hope Village is a transformative housing initiative addressing urgent housing needs through innovation and collaboration. Featuring 32 new modular two- and three-bedroom townhouses, the project provides affordable, dignified housing for families, including urban indigenous households and those transitioning from hotels and shelters. Its success is driven by partnerships across sectors, including nonprofit organizations, all levels of government, and private contributors. Modular construction ensured the rapid delivery of high-quality homes, with rents starting at $1,050 to maintain affordability. Situated in a mixed-income community, Mount Hope Village serves as a national model for sustainable, inclusive and community-driven housing solutions. 

Hazelhurst Suites

Project applicant: Dan Goodspeed, Architect Ltd.

Applicant statement: Hazelhurst Suites is an example of a small scale residential urban infill project. Three condominium units have been constructed on a formerly vacant lot in an established Dartmouth neighborhood. The project illustrates the hidden density potential to be found in low rise districts in the core of the city and leverages the existing urban infrastructure.

McFatridge Garage Conversion

Project applicant: People Properties Limited

Applicant statement: People Properties Limited (PPL) is proud to announce our initiative for the Urban Design Awards, showcasing innovative housing solutions. We converted existing empty garage bays into modern, cutting-edge apartments featuring usable layouts, full-size appliances, walk-in showers, 10 ft ceilings & more, creating a charming home experience in record time (less than 90 days).

True North Crescent Housing

Project applicant: Molly Merriman Architects Inc.

Applicant statement: True North Crescent is a 44-unit housing development brought to fruition by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia (AHANS). With a focus on sustainable community, lead architect Passive Design Solutions delivered on AHANS’ vision of creating a truly inclusive community. This is achieved in the courtyard townhouse design, a varying range of affordable rents, and a net-zero heating/electrical system. Built in four phases, this project demonstrates the limitless possibility of partnership, when all three levels of government, the non-profit sector, and forward thinking private sector design and development firms come together focused on a high quality, resident focused outcome.

Westwood Drive Backyard Suite

Project applicant: Affirmative Ventures Association

Applicant statement: A vision for a modern backyard suite on Westwood Drive was brought to life in the summer of 2022, thanks to the efforts of AV Property Maintenance, Landscaping & Construction (AVPM&C), in partnership with Sand Seal Paving & Construction led by Mr. Mark Smith. What began as a plan to enhance the property evolved into a collaborative effort to construct a modern, functional two-bedroom home. The 660-square-foot suite is designed to enhance the property’s usage while supporting affordable and accessible housing. By November 2022, the unit was ready to welcome a senior couple, marking a significant step forward in community-oriented living.

Category Description: single, small-scale pieces of a building or landscape that contribute significantly to the quality of the public realm in the Halifax Regional Municipality. The category includes small and modest elements such as street furniture, lighting elements, interpretation media, memorials, public art or other forms of intervention that contribute to the beautification, sustainability, enjoyment, and appreciation of the urban environment. Projects can be of a temporary (but not ephemeral) or permanent nature.

Blooming Seating - Granville Mall Activation

Project applicant: OSO planning + design

Applicant statement: Blooming Seating at Granville Mall demonstrates how seemingly small changes can make a great impact on a community. What was once an unused and uninviting space in the Downtown Halifax area has become the site of a beautiful and interactive art exhibit. With the addition of tree lighting, the Blooming Seating feature has successfully transformed Granville Mall into an inviting space for community members to relax and spend time while feeling safe.
 

Clocktower Mural & Interpretive Panels

Project applicant: Halifax Regional Municipality, Transportation Planning

Applicant statement: The Brunswick Complete Streets Plan identified a placemaking opportunity at the foot of Halifax’s iconic clock tower on Citadel Hill. Halifax municipal staff commissioned local “muraleers” Amber Solberg & Dylan Smibert (Altruistic Current) to depict the clock mechanism blueprints on a previously drab concrete wall adding a punch of colour to the view at the end of Carmichael Street. Parks Canada added interpretive panels with stories about the clock and the resident families who once lived in the tower (like lighthouse keepers did) and were tasked with its operation and maintenance. 

In Conversation

Project applicant: Andrea Tsang Jackson, 3rd Story Workshop

Applicant statement: "In Conversation" is a public art project by Andrea Tsang Jackson with stories from or about Ida Simon, Daurene Lewis & Rose Fortune, Annie-Rose & Gérard Deveau, Mary MacLean, and other unknown makers. It intertwines culture and craft, using a public parking building as a blank canvas for telling of these individuals' experiences and stories. The artwork features two elements: Nova Scotian shorelines and patterned fabrics that are inspired by a variety of traditional craft media. The shorelines anchor the fluid fabric and connect segments of geography in unexpected ways. 

Category Description: any built project, however modest, initiated and implemented by a community-based organization that enhances the public realm in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Examples include, but are not limited to: street improvement plans, public art, commemorative or interpretive installations, and environmental initiatives.

Common Roots Urban Farm Resource Hub

Project applicant: OSO planning + design

Applicant statement: Common Roots Urban Farm (CRUF) has always been a place for community members to seek out information and resources, however the wide variety of resources available was not always known amongst community members. Because of this, CRUF wanted to create a bulletin board that showcased all of the information and resources available to community members to ensure everyone was getting access to the resources they needed. Through community engagement, the bulletin board slowly turned into the Resource Hub, a place where community members can access resources of all kinds including food, tools, skills & education, and information.

Squaretown Courts

Project applicant: Buckets & Borders

Applicant statement: Buckets & Borders is a non-profit organization that uses basketball as a means to improve communities and bring people together through basketball. In the summer and fall of 2024, Canada Basketball and Buckets & Borders collaborated with the Regional Municipality of Halifax and the Uniacke Square Community to restore three outdoor basketball courts in Halifax's North End that have acted as the heart of George Dixon Park. The common goal highlights basketball's unifying power across Canada and shines a light on Nova Scotia. Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hELFCLM4aUI

West Bedford Rocks - Build a Better Place

Project applicant: West Bedford School

Applicant statement: West Bedford School is proud to announce the release of “Build a Better Place”, a collaborative song written by Keith Mullins, Morgan Toney and Ryan Roberts, with the help of 1,400 students and staff, and featuring D.O. Gibson as well. This new school community is a welcoming place for many families who are new to Canada, as well as longtime residents of the area. All students took part.

Ride With Me: Street Murals

Project applicant: Halifax Regional Municipality, Parks & Recreation

Applicant statement: Halifax’s North End, a historically African Nova Scotian neighbourhood, was identified through the North End Complete Streets Project as an opportunity for community enhancement.  Seven intersections were painted to make the space safer and build a sense of ownership through community engagement.

Artists Holly Carr, Elyse Moir and Vanessa Thomas worked with Joseph Howe Elementary students to create the designs. Over 400 children, youth, and adult volunteers painted the murals. The murals and shortened crosswalks have changed the way many interact with the street, building a sense of belonging and ownership as they make their way to school and work.

Shape This Space

Project applicant: Every One Every Day Kjipuktuk/Halifax

Applicant statement: Shape This Space, a project of Every One Every Day, is creating welcoming and inclusive community spaces that celebrate Indigenous culture in Halifax's North End. Through hands-on participation, art, and land-based learning, the project empowers community members to reclaim and shape public spaces while fostering knowledge exchange, connection, and food and medicine growing. By strengthening cultural presence, belonging, and pride, Shape This Space serves as both a reflection of Indigenous identity and an open invitation for the wider community to engage in meaningful reconciliation through action, collaboration, and shared experiences.

Category Description: heritage restoration projects in which an important heritage resource or group of resources have been carefully and expertly returned to their original beauty and quality (interior and exterior) while contributing to the successful urban design of the community. A heritage resource can include but is not limited to buildings or urban elements located within the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Benjamin Wier House Restoration

Project applicant: Killam Apartment REIT

Applicant statement: In October 2022, Killam began the restoration of the stone façade at the Benjamin Wier building, which was built in 1864. Many of the sandstone decorations had deteriorated and required replacement. We sourced new sandstone from Wallace Quarry, the same quarry from which the original sandstone was sourced, and hand carved the stone to match the original decorations. The wooden windows were replaced with new custom wooden windows to match the originals. The work was completed in February 2024, and the building is now fully occupied as a vibrant office space.

The Peggy's Cove House

Project applicant: Suzanne Haslett Design

Applicant statement: I am thrilled to be able to submit the Peggys Cove house restoration project for your consideration for a heritage design award. As the steward and designer of this 200 year old house I felt passionately about the importance of restoring and protecting this iconic property for the province of Nova Scotia. My work restoring it was a labour of love and privilege.

Category Description: heritage adaptive re-use projects where a heritage resource has been thoughtfully and expertly adapted for a new use while maintaining the integrity and important character elements of the resource. Heritage resources include but are not limited to buildings or urban elements located within the Halifax Regional Municipality.

Green Lantern Building

Project applicant: Grafton Developments Inc.

Applicant statement: The Keith Building, more popularly known as the Green Lantern building, has been beautifully
restored through adaptive reuse by owners Jason and Jordan Ghosn. Built in 1896, this historically significant structure had long faced neglect, but under the Ghosn brothers' vision, it has been expertly revitalized. When approved by Halifax City Council, it was the largest and most ambitious adaptive reuse project in the province. By blending the old with the new, they've preserved key features like the original facade, floor-plates, and interior walls while creatively repurposing elements such as the old elevator shaft. Now home to 62 residential units and 5,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space, the building's revitalization enhances the vibrancy of the downtown core.

The Hilroy

Project applicant: Lydon Lynch Architects

Applicant statement: Originally constructed in the 1940s, the facades included elegantly proportioned windows and herringbone brick spandrels set between limestone pilasters. A 1960s addition made no effort to respect the original building. New storefronts enhance the symmetry of the façade above while a new recessed entryway is framed with black granite that incorporate an illuminated surround. New windows are installed at upper floors that respect original proportions. Ceramic ‘baguettes’ set within steel frames extend above the roofline creating a screened enclosure for a new roof terrace - the overall effect creating a delicate conclusion to the top of the building.