Winners Announced in Mississauga’s 2020 People’s Choice Urban Design Awards

Absolute World Tower Phase IV and  Meadowvale Community Centre and Library are the top picks in Mississauga’s 2020 People’s Choice Urban Design Awards. Additional top selections include the Applewood Landmark building, Xerox Research Centre, Mississauga Celebration Square and Central Library and Civic Square.

This year’s People’s Choice Award nominees featured a retrospective of 70 previous Award of Excellence winners from the last 35 years of the Mississauga Urban Design Awards. Residents were encouraged to vote online for their favourite places between May and September this year.

“Over the years, we have built out a distinctive skyline in Mississauga,” said Mayor Crombie. “We know that great urban design is vital in our city-building efforts and is an important factor in fostering an exceptional quality of life. These well-known Mississauga landmarks have helped to create our vibrant and thriving city. Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s voting and congratulations to all of the winners.”

Nominees were divided into Private and Public Project categories. Top selections in the Private Projects category are:

Absolute World – ‘Marilyn’ Tower (Phase IV)

The ‘Marilyn’ tower Phase IV has earned its place as a significant landmark and centrepiece in Downtown Mississauga. Its 56-storey sculptural twists and dynamic form have a remarkable ability to reflect light and articulate its striking silhouette at distances near and far. It includes a variety of residential units, a recreational facility and retail stores. The open forecourt includes public art, as well as hard and soft landscaping.

• Address:          60 Absolute Ave.  [map]
• Award Year:    2012
• Developer:      Cityzen Development Group and Fernbook Homes
• Owner:            PSCP #930
• Consultants:   MAD Architects, Burka Architects, Inc., NAK Design Group

Applewood Landmark

The Applewood Landmark residential building, located in Mississauga’s Applewood neighbourhood, forms a visual gateway and a skyline reference to traffic progressing westward through the city. It is a twenty-six storey building and includes a variety of residential units and indoor as well as outdoor fitness facilities and entertainment features.

• Address:         1300 Bloor St. [map]
• Award Year:    1981
• Developer:      The Shipp Corporation
• Owner:            PSCP #171
• Consultants:   D. Allan Ross and Julian Gaspar

Xerox Research Centre

The Xerox Research Centre, located in the Sheridan community node, demonstrates a high-quality, state-of-the-art building and reinforces the company’s public image of innovation and creativity. The building’s orientation and arrangement, with its landscape features, are appropriate to its setting and present an attractive visual impact for those travelling on the Queen Elizabeth Way.

• Address:          2660 Speakman Dr. [map]
• Award Year:    1984
• Owner:            Xerox Research Centre of Canada
• Consultants:   Shore Tibe Henschel Irwin Peters, Architects, Engineers Moorhead Fleming Corban McCarthy

Top selections in the Public Projects category are:

Meadowvale Community Centre and Library

Meadowvale Community Centre and Library, located in the Meadowvale neighbourhood, overlooks Lake Aquitaine and the surrounding parklands and serves approximately 60,000 inhabitants. This facility was carefully designed to meet accessibility and sustainability standards. Program elements include a library, aquatics, fitness, gymnasium, multipurpose rooms and various outdoor and indoor amenities and gathering spaces suitable for multi-generational purposes, from children to older adults.

• Address:          6655 Glen Erin Dr. [map]
• Award Year:    2018
• Owner:            City of Mississauga
• Consultants:   Perkins+Will, Fleisher Ridout Partnership Inc.

Mississauga Celebration Square

Mississauga Celebration Square, located in the heart of Mississauga’s Civic Centre, is an urban space that works successfully at a community and city-wide scale. The square consists of elements such as a stage and media wall, raised gardens, an enlarged lawn and a skating rink/fountain. It supports a variety of events that provide an opportunity for community gatherings.

• Address:        300 City Centre Dr. [map]
• Award Year:  2011
• Owner:           City of Mississauga
• Consultants:  CS&P Architect Inc., Janet Rosenberg + Associates

Mississauga Central Library and Civic Square Extension

Together, the Civic Centre, Central Library and Mississauga Celebration Square create a vital urban landmark. The Library’s architecture has a civic presence, yet creates an inviting, friendly image appropriate for a library. The building makes a remarkable contribution to Celebration Square and the three surrounding streets, in addition to creating an urban place that encourages pedestrian traffic.

• Address:        301 Burnhamthorpe Rd. W. [map]
• Award Year:   1991
• Owner:            City of Mississauga
• Consultants:  Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners, Fleisher Ridout Partnership Inc.

“These projects are great examples of how urban design – buildings and the areas around them – can work together to make quality spaces for people to enjoy,” said Andrew Whittemore, Commissioner of Planning and Building. “As we continue to plan and develop the city, it is important for us to highlight this level of excellence as a standard of what we hope to achieve. I commend everyone who was involved in these winning projects and all those who participated in the online voting.”

The City will issue the call for submissions for the 2021 Mississauga Urban Design Awards later this fall. The Mississauga Urban Design Awards are one of the longest-running urban design awards in Ontario. The City has been recognizing exceptional urban design since 1981.

Tags

• Awards and Recognition
• Planning and Building