The Craftspeople

In Good Hands

Conserving, rehabilitating and upgrading a historic building such as the Library of Parliament demands unique and sometimes hard-to-find skills. Many of the materials and techniques required to produce work that matches perfectly with the original features of the building are not common to construction today.

Restoring stone at Reading Room window. February 3, 2004 (Roy Grogan)

A General Contractor, Fuller Construction Ltd. (1958) of Ottawa, was hired to carry out the bulk of the work. The firm—owned by direct descendents of the Fullers who designed the original Parliament buildings—erected an ingenious scaffolding system covered with a white tarp that didn't touch the building yet permitted access to every part of it during all seasons, day and night. From stone masons and wood conservators to rock excavators, brick layers and metal fabricators, more than 600 tradespeople lent their skills to the Library renewal during the construction phase. Including the project planners, architects, engineers, building technicians and others involved since planning began in 1995, more than 1,200 people have been involved in the project over the course of its duration.

Conserving Reading Room woodwork. April 19, 2004 (Roy Grogan)

Installing fabric panel over scaffold. December 17, 2002