Award Categories for Urban Design & Architecture Awards

Award categories have been included this year to aid in the fair evaluation of entries. You will need to assign your project to the most suitable category.

Urban Elements

A stand-alone object, public art installation, landscape element or small-scale building component which contributes to the public realm. Submissions may include, but are not limited to: tactical urbanism, street furnishings, canopies, signage, porches, patios, or colonnades, gateways, light fixtures, walkways, stairways, barrier-free access, fences and works of art.

Private Buildings in Context

A building or composition of buildings, that achieve(s) urban design excellence and is precedent setting for a project of its type through its relationship to the natural environment and the public realm with consideration to pedestrian amenity, massing, detailing, as well as landscaping. Submissions should document and highlight how the project contributes to successful city-building through its contextual relationship, design quality and measures of sustainable design. New build, adaptive re-use, and heritage restoration projects are all eligible.

The Building in Context category consists of three sub-categories that reflect a range of scales:

  • Residential
  • Commercial/Industrial
  • Mixed Use

Public Buildings in Context

A building or a composition of buildings, with a primary function to serve the public and/or is largely accessible to the public. Submissions should demonstrate urban design and architectural excellence through a relationship to the natural environment and the public realm with consideration to pedestrian amenity, massing, detailing, as well as landscaping

In this category, all building scales are eligible, as well as new build, adaptive re-use, and heritage restoration. Submissions may include, but are not limited to: education, health care, recreation, cultural, community and civic buildings.

Landscapes, Public Spaces & Green Infrastructure

Open spaces, public spaces, and green infrastructure projects that contribute to the public realm and the natural environment through careful attention and consideration to context, community, sustainability, flexibility and adaptability over time.

Visions & Master Plans

Visions, studies and master plans that have the potential to significantly impact the future of Hamilton. Submissions may include, but are not limited to: theoretical and visionary projects, secondary plans, master plans, streetscape plans, and neighbourhood designs that are currently in progress.

Civic Achievement

Urban design or architecture related initiatives, services, or projects that have had significant civic, social, and/or public realm impacts.

Student Projects

  • Landscape Architecture
  • Architecture

The categories and the number of awards are determined by the jury and are based upon the quality, quantity and diversity of submissions. Projects generally fall into these categories:

  • Architecture
  • Adaptive Reuse
  • Civic Generosity
  • Community Planning
  • Contextual Architecture
  • Heritage Restoration
  • Landscape Architecture
  • Placemaking
  • Precinct Planning
  • Streetscape
    • Environmental Design
  • Urban Design
  • Urban Regeneration

Judging criteria

The categories and the number of awards were determined by the jury based upon the quality, number and diversity of submissions.

Submissions were judged with the following criteria:

  • Appropriateness of siting, orientation, scale, massing,  and design within its context
  • Excellence in overall site design and relationship to the public realm
  • Excellence in urban design, architectural design, and landscape architectural design
  • Excellence of assembly, quality, and use of materials
  • Energy efficiency, sustainability, adaptability or resiliency
  • Innovation