architecture

Back Lane Café Collaboration

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The Hintonburg area of Ottawa is crawling with hip new restaurants and one of the latest additions is the Back Lane Café. I got a chance to visit on the weekend and although it wasn’t for the food this trip,  I will definitely be making a culinary visit in the near future.

I was there to photograph an interior design collaboration initiated by the owner George Monsour who recently returned to Ottawa from 6 years in Paris. My friends over at Rusty Nail  Design were tasked with creating a charming time-worn interior in a completely stripped down shell.

“The intention with this restaurant was to combine the transparent and informal workings of a colonial bakery with the subtle sophistication of a classic Parisian cafe. These two elements were combined using original Canadian architectural items (see the facade over the bar). Recovered logs from the Rideau river milled for flooring, doors and iron work from turn of the century  Canadian houses and post & beams from local barns.”
There certainly is a Parisian feel to the café but it also has more contemporary elements that give it a bit of a fresh edge. The custom concrete counter at the bar for example was finished to give it a look somewhat like aged metal with a lovely rich surface.

On Sunday the Rusty Nail crew were busy installing a new element to the interior, designed to help improve the acoustics.

A sound dampening material was essentially hidden inside some reclaimed shuttered window frames and mounted to the wall. This cuts down significantly on the space previously showcasing artwork but solves an important problem.

Rusty Nail called in another person to collaborate on this project. Artist Heather Snow contributed curly ironwork mounted to the front of each window. There is other iron work dotted around the café pulling all the elements together. (I will confess here that Heather Snow is my sister! She has recently become a welder which brings up her coolness factor significantly in my books)

You can find out more about these innovative artist/designers here:
Rusty Nail Design
Heather Snow
The Back Lane Café is located at 1087 Wellington St. W.Ottawa, ON 613-695-2999 No website yet but they are on Twitter and the reviews are excellent! I also got a peek at the bright beautiful kitchen with lots of natural light and 2 specialty wood burning ovens. Can’t wait to try the food!

Thanks to everyone at The Back Lane Café, Rusty Nail Design and to Heather Snow! And thanks to Desire to Inspire for re-blogging my photos!

All images © Karen McRae

Eerie

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Sadly this beautiful neo-Gothic style church in Aylmer, Quebec was burned out over two years ago. It was suspected to be arson but no one was ever charged. The shell is still standing but  is slated to be torn down to make room for a new church. The parishioners were hoping to rebuild this 1862 landmark but couldn’t find the financial backing for such an expensive  project. I find the ruins of the church are still striking and beautiful. The pigeons call it home. (click on images to enlarge)
All images © Karen McRae

If you were a kid…

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Wouldn’t you just be itching to explore these little structures?

I came across these little out-buildings when I was taking a “road less traveled” the other day. Maybe it’s because I spent many idyllic hours as a child in similar rickety old buildings that I find these so intriguing. Of course they don’t look very safe, but that’s part of the attraction.

Avian Architecture

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So I have a little nest collection. Yes, along with collections of rocks and decaying leaves… but you have to admit they are pretty cool. And all so different. I don’t know what birds built all these nests but everyone does it their own way. Little architectural gems.  (Click to enlarge images.)

This nest is partially built with cigarette filters, lots of them...city dwellers.
A little heavy on the insulation...synthetic fibres.

Oriole Nest, plant fibre weathered and greyed. All images © Karen McRae

Industrial Architecture Part II, Upper Falls Hydro Station

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I recently posted some photographs of a new Hydro Electric Station in Almonte, ON. This set of  photographs were taken at the updated original power station located up-river from the new one. This station was built in 1925 and refurbished in 2010. Further information about this project can be found at the following link should you be interested: http://www.mississippiriverpower.com/present.aro

All photography © Karen McRae

Industrial Architecture

photography by Karen McRae
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All photos by Karen McRae

This building appeals to my minimal side.  Simple clean lines, interesting details and a blending of interesting materials, and it seems I have a growing fondness for cement. It was completed in 2010 in Almonte, Ontario and houses a hydro electric power generating station.

Almonte is a beautiful and historic mill town and it’s apparent that the project designers took this into consideration. The design although largely poured cement includes a nod to the many stone mill buildings in the area. It’s quite beautiful in the evening light and I like the way it’s integrated into the landscape.

Speaking of landscaping I’m a fan of the open cement paving stones leading up to the building. These prevent runoff allowing rain water to pass through to the earth, perhaps a nod to the water passing through the structure itself. Don’t you just love details?
Architect: Richard A. Limmert

If you are interested in the actual project and whats going on inside this building there is an extensive detailing of the construction here: http://www.mississippiriverpower.com/lowerfalls.aro

architecture and wind sounds

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Today I spent a good part of the day photographing the local sailing club. The day was windy. There is an evocative sound that comes from the docked sailboats on a windy day. Perhaps cables pinging against the tall masts or vibrating in the wind. Whatever it is, I love that sound. A few pictures from today…