An important tradition in Manitoba’s architecture and design industry was reinstated on Wednesday, October 15 when the Premier’s Awards for Design Excellence were given out to a handful of prominent Winnipeg design firms at the Manitoba Legislature for the first time in three decades.

Number TEN’s Brent Bellamy and Doug Hanna accepted an Award of Merit for the Qualico Family Centre at Assiniboine Park. The unique facility, nestled seamlessly into its park surroundings at the edge of a tranquil duck pond, has become a favorite locale for park visitors. The building serves as a gathering place, restaurant, multi-purpose and children’s activity space as well as a fireplace lounge – amenities that were previously absent from Assiniboine Park, one of Winnipeg’s most significant and popular attractions.

Premier Greg Selinger (centre) presents Award of Merit to architect Brent Bellamy, Assiniboine Park Conservancy CEO Margaret Redmond, as well as Number TEN partners Doug Hanna and Dave Lalama (from left to right).

“It is an honour to have a project recognized among such an inspiring collection of work from a design community that is transforming Winnipeg’s image on the national stage,” says Bellamy. “The success of the Family Centre is the result of a visionary client who has been committed to re-establishing Assiniboine Park’s place as a jewel in our city’s crown. It has been a humbling and personally fulfilling experience to join them on that journey.”

According to Bellamy, the goal for the design was to create a responsible, evocative and emotionally inspiring building rooted to its site, resonating with its specific place and greater context. Structure, space and materials, he says, are choreographed to the rhythms of nature, expressing the beauty and power of the landscape.

The Premier’s Award for Design Excellence originated as the Product Awards in the 1970’s. The bi-annual awards, last presented in the 1980s, have been reinstated to honour the significant contributions made by architects and professional interior designers to the social, cultural, artistic and economic development of Manitoba, Premier Greg Selinger said in a government release.

The esteemed jury for the awards were comprised of a list of prominent design and media professionals  including Dan Hanganu, architect, Montreal; Elsa Lam, editor, Canadian Architect, Toronto; Stanley Sun, professional interior designer, Toronto; Peter Briggs, landscape architect, Anchorage, Alaska; and Martin Cash, lay juror, veteran business reporter and columnist, of the Winnipeg Free Press.

Read More about Qualico Family Centre: http://www.numberten.com/institutional/qualico-family-centre