Feds select 12 for Block 2 redesign
The federal government has shortlisted 12 team, including ones with members from as far away as Switzerland and Australia, to redesign a significant piece of land across the road from Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand officially launched the architectural design competition to redevelop Block 2, the city block facing Parliament Hill and surrounded by Wellington, Sparks, Metcalfe and O'Connor streets, on May 21.
Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) invited 12 firms that qualified through a competitive process to participate in the competition. The design teams have been tasked with turning the mix of aging buildings into an innovative complex that will create a balance between heritage, accessibility, security and sustainability.
The new and renovated facilities will ultimately provide space for the Senate and House of Commons while work is undertaken on other aging buildings within the Parliamentary Precinct. They will also serve as the temporary home for other offices of parliament, including space for the Library of Parliament.
"I look forward to seeing the new vision of the prominent city block facing Parliament Hill,” said Anand. “This competition has assembled top architecture firms to develop designs that will complement one of the most unique settings of parliamentary buildings in the world, one in which Canadians can continue to take pride."
Those firms shortlisted to submit an outline design concept as part of stage 1 of the design competition are:
- Ottawa’s Architecture49 Inc. in joint venture with Foster+Partners (London, United Kingdom) and in association with DFS Inc. Architecture & Design (Montréal)
- Toronto’s BDP Quadrangle in joint venture with Herzog & de Meuron (Basel, Switzerland)
- Toronto’s Diamond Schmitt Architects in joint venture with Bjarke Ingels Group (New York, United States), KWC Architects (Ottawa) and ERA Architects (Toronto)
- Grimshaw Architects (New York, United States) in association with Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker (Montréal)
- Hassell Ltd. (Melbourne, Australia) in association with Partisans (Toronto)
- Hopkins Architects (London, United Kingdom) in association with CORE Architects Inc. (Toronto)
- KPMB Architects (Toronto, Canada)
- NEUF Architects (Ottawa) in joint venture with Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Paris, France)
- Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes Inc. (Montréal, Canada)
- Watson MacEwen Teramura Architects (Ottawa) in joint venture with Behnisch Architekten (Boston, United States)
- Wilkinson Eyre (London, United Kingdom) in association with IDEA Inc. (Ottawa)
- Zeidler Architecture Inc. (Toronto) in association with David Chipperfield Architects (London, United Kingdom)
Working with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, a multidisciplinary independent jury will evaluate the design concepts submitted and select the six best designs to advance to stage 2 of the competition.
"The site facing Parliament Hill is of national significance, and the building program includes many issues critical to society today: urban revitalization, heritage integration, cultural reconciliation, sustainability and the 21st–century workplace,” said Peter Ortved, professional advisor for the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. “A competition is sure to draw out the best responses."
PSPC will continue to work closely with the Senate, the House of Commons, the Library of Parliament, the Parliamentary Protective Service and stakeholders such as the City of Ottawa, the National Capital Commission and the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office in revitalizing the Parliamentary Precinct.
The renewal of Block 2 is part of the government's continuing efforts to restore and modernize the buildings within the Parliamentary Precinct, and to provide Parliament with the modern facilities it requires to serve Canadians.
The block is surrounded by Metcalfe, Wellington, O'Connor and Sparks streets. It covers an approximate area of 10,000 square metres and includes two vacant parcels and 11 buildings, many of which are designated heritage buildings. Most buildings on the block are currently underutilized. They require rehabilitation and modernization work to meet current building codes and make best use of the space for future needs.
The redevelopment of Block 2 will include a combination of new build components, restoration and refit while preserving the heritage character of the historic streets.