By Brent Bellamy, Creative Director and Architect
Cibinel Architects' proposal for a mixed-use project at the old stadium site lost out to the Target store.
When Disneyland opened its doors in 1955, visitors experienced for the first time a stroll down Main Street U.S.A., Walt Disney's nostalgic interpretation of the central pedestrian shopping strip most North American cities and towns had grown up around.
Winnipeg's example of this high street was Portage Avenue, stretching through downtown from its famous intersection at Main Street. Anchored by Eaton's, the 10th-largest department store in the world, the avenue's shops, theatres and restaurants made it the social, retail and cultural heart of the city for more than a century.
As postwar North American cities began to expand outward with sprawling, low-density suburbs, retail development responded to this new, auto-centric lifestyle by moving away from main street into enclosed suburban shopping malls, set within large, asphalt parking lots. In 1959, Polo Park opened in Winnipeg, and the first shot was fired in the long war against downtown shopping.
By Brent Bellamy, Creative Director and Architect
Thunderbird House on Main Street is designed by architect Douglas Cardinal, who infuses modern architecture with indigenous beliefs and traditions.
- PHOTO BY MIKE APORIUS/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES
The Maclean's article -- three words that when spoken anywhere in Winnipeg over the past few weeks would invariably spark a passionate and polarizing conversation. It is not often that a national periodical publishes such a charged condemnation of an entire city, but shining a spotlight on Winnipeg's racial divide has created an opportunity to further an already pervasive dialogue about our city's most complex challenge.
By Brent Bellamy, Creative Director and Architect
The Red River Mutual Trail regularly attracts skaters to get in some winter activity. (BRENT BELLAMY)
It is mid-January, and through hard crusts of frozen breath on their tightly wrapped scarves, Winnipeggers across the city can be heard muttering to themselves "Why do I live here?"
By Nadine Pearson, Architectural Intern
Projects such as Douglas Park School in Regina (left) and Qualico Family Centre in Winnipeg (right) demonstrate the elegance of wood as a building material.
In Canada, 81 percent of the population lives in urban areas and Canadians typically spend 90 percent of their time inside. We are so far removed from our natural environment, it’s no wonder our health and state of mind are so fragile.
Studies have shown that exposure to natural environments has positive effects on physical and mental health. Simply going for a brief walk outdoors, for example, can lift ones spirits and generate real health benefits. As designers, we have an opportunity to bring some of the benefits of the natural environment indoors through the use of wood in our designs.
By Brent Bellamy, Creative Director and Architect
Every young intern architect in the country has been through the experience of having their eyes glaze over when first trying to solve the Rubik's Cube puzzle known as the National Building Code of Canada. For those in Manitoba, that challenge just became much more difficult.