HERITAGE OTTAWA ANNOUNCES RECIPIENT OF CULLINGHAM GRANT
Heritage Ottawa is pleased to announce that the 2026 Gordon Cullingham Research and Publication Grant was awarded to Zeynep Ekim, for her project entitled From Woodroffe Demonstration Project to Centrepointe: A lesser known history of an Ottawa suburb.
The Cullingham Grant selection panel was unanimous in choosing this project from a total of eight submissions. The project focuses on more recent heritage using the 1970s Woodroffe Demonstration Project, an ambitious and innovative experiment in community planning and housing design developed by Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, to examine the architectural and urban history of Centrepointe. The Project was intended to serve as a testing ground for innovative housing forms, community planning strategies, and technological advancements. Although never fully realized, traces of the original vision remain embedded within Centrepointe’s urban fabric. The goal of this research project is to offer a case study that can contribute to the contemporary conversations about housing affordability, transportation, community identity, and social inclusion at a time when Canadian cities are grappling with significant urban challenges.
The project deliverable will be a digital publication that combines historical documentation, archival imagery, contemporary photographs, maps and architectural drawings.
Zeynep Ekim is an Associate Architect at KWC Architects in Ottawa with more that a decade of experience working on both heritage conservation and institutional architecture projects.
The projected timeline anticipates the project’s completion and launch in December 2027.
The Gordon Cullingham Research and Publication Grant was established by Heritage Ottawa in 2008 in honour of the late Gordon Cullingham, journalist, broadcaster, editor and heritage activist.
Heritage Ottawa is pleased to support this project that will serve to help raise awareness of lesser-known aspects of Ottawa’s urban history and modern heritage. Congratulations to this year's grant recipient!
