Public affairs network CPAC chronicles the work to save and preserve Canada’s historic Parliament building, Centre Block. The HOK-WSP joint venture CENTRUS is leading the design for the project, the largest and most complex rehabilitation ever undertaken in Canada.
Anyone interested in history, architecture, conservation and incredible feats of engineering will want to check out CPAC’s new documentary “Inside Centre Block.” The two-episode film takes viewers behind the scenes to witness the years-long work to rehabilitate, modernize and expand Canada’s Centre Block.
The Beaux Arts-style building, located in the capital of Ottawa, was designed by chief architect John Pearson and constructed a century ago. It has experienced significant water and structural damage over the decades and was in need of crucial updates to serve a modern Parliament and ensure its future use. HOK is the lead design architect and architect of record for the Centre Block modernization and expansion and is leading a team of heritage planners and conservation specialists in the historic restoration of the building.
Key aspects of the project covered in the CPAC documentary include:
- Scale – The project is expected to take more than a decade to complete and will cost between $4.5 and $5 billion, making it the nation’s biggest rehabilitation project ever.
- Historic restoration – More than 20,000 heritage assets—including paintings, murals, stain glass windows, woodwork and sculptures—have been removed from the building (or protected on-site). The majority of those historic assets are now undergoing detailed restoration.
- Monumental expansion – Workers have excavated 40,000 truckloads of earth and bedrock from the front lawn of Centre Block. The 23-meter-deep pit will eventually become Centre Block’s new HOK-designed visitor’s center, allowing Parliament Hill to double its number of visitors to 700,000 annually.
- Seismic engineering – To bring Centre Block up to modern seismic codes, workers are excavating the ground beneath Centre Block (the building has no basement) to add multiple subterranean floors braced by seismic isolation barrettes designed to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 6.5.
- Modernization – Constructed during a time when buildings were heated with coal furnaces and fireplaces, the building is undergoing extensive upgrades to its HVAC system and other mechanical infrastructure that will improve its efficiency and overall sustainability.
View the full documentary here, and check out the clip below for a peek at the expansion and seismic upgrades to Centre Block.