Ottawa Architecture Week

Explore the ways in which architecture and urban design affect our daily lives. Throughout the week, we celebrate the role of architecture in an engaging way that is fun and engaging.

Architecture has always had a complex affair with nature. We’re inspired by nature and celebrate it. We try to control nature and to shield ourselves from it. Done recklessly, architecture disrupts the delicate natural balance. Done with care, architecture can help us both coexist with and enjoy nature.

This year’s Ottawa Architecture Week (OAW) explores the idea of mapping memories in the ByWard Market—not only as a way of preserving what was, but as a strategy for guiding what could be. Buildings, streets, and public spaces carry stories: of commerce and community, of migration and resistance, of celebration and loss. What happens when these physical anchors are altered or erased? And how can new design practices, planning approaches, and community engagement tools ensure that the future of the Market remains rich with meaning?

Bringing together architects, urbanists, artists, and storytellers, this conversation around the OAW events will reflect on the Market’s evolving identity and look ahead to what it might become. We invite everyone—from long-time residents to first-time visitors—to join in reimagining the ByWard Market not just as a historic site, but as a living, breathing urban landscape where memory and innovation can coexist.

Who is it for?

All ages

FREE

 

Date: September 29 – October 3, 2025 – Schedule

Venue & Address

Various Venues, Ottawa

Wheelchair accessible

Accessible by Public Transport