Phase 1 (2001-2008)

Library of Parliament
East Block Masonry
Wellington Building
New Building for the Parliamentary Precinct
Victoria Building
Site Infrastructure
Parking
La Promenade Building

Library of Parliament

The beautiful neo-gothic Library of Parliament has delighted visitors since its opening in 1876. It has also provided generations of Parliamentarians with research and reference services. Now, this venerable building is getting much-needed renovations. Work, which began in March 2002, will include masonry conservation, roof replacement, window repairs, woodwork conservation, building systems upgrades, and complete weatherproofing. The Library will reopen in Summer 2005.

New Life For A Cherished Landmark

The Library of Parliament rehabilitation will solve two major problems - building deterioration and inadequate storage conditions for the parliamentary collections.

The project will meet the deterioration challenge by upgrading the building's mechanical, electrical, communications and security systems, and by renovating its interior and exterior structures. All of the Library's parquet floors, interior plaster partitions, and mobile shelv-ing have been removed to make way for repairs to the building's historic fabric, such as the wood mouldings and Reading Room bookshelves. Outside, covered scaffolding has been erected to shelter workers and reduce external noise pollu-tion while masonry, roof and window repairs are made.

Collection storage conditions will be improved by installing proper shelving as well as the required temperature and humidity controls. A third basement for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems will require workers to dig a giant access shaft that will be used to remove debris. Excavation will begin in the middle of the new basement level, working outward in concentric circles to minimize vibration and prevent uneven loads on the library's foundations. As explosives cannot be used, rock will be broken by hand and with power tools.

When the work is completed in 2005, the building will have undergone a sweeping transformation. In addition to the repairs, restoration and additions, the Library will be a safer, more effective place to work. The main reference desk will be located in the centre of the ground floor, surrounded by reading tables and seating for Parliamentary staff. The beauty - and functionality - of this cherished building will have been protected and enhanced for decades to come.

East Block Masonry

Since the original wing of the East Block was built in1867, very little maintenance work has been conducted on its exterior walls. More than a century of weathering has resulted in many cracked and broken stones. To preserve this heritage building and protect the safety of those who work in it, a program of repointing, patching and stone replacement will be carried out over a three to four year period beginning in 2003. The project will be combined with roof repairs to prevent further water damage to the walls.

Wellington Building

The Wellington Building currently accommodates House of Commons administration and support services. Located at the corner of Bank and Wellington Streets, this impressive building will be emptied and completely renovated in Phase 1 of the Long-Term Vision and Plan. When work is completed in 2009, a thoroughly modernized Wellington Building will be reoccupied by the House of Commons.

Upgrading the Wellington Building

Among the many upgrades planned for the Wellington Building, obsolete mechanical and electrical systems will be replaced, exterior walls will be repaired and new windows will be installed. Inside, washrooms, elevators and floor surfaces will be replaced, workspaces will be modernized, and the building will be made wheelchair accessible throughout. When complete, the Wellington Building will provide functional office space that meets all modern fire, safety, health and structural requirements.

New Building for the Parliamentary Precinct

A new building on the north-east corner of Bank and Wellington Streets will be the most significant development in the Parliamentary Precinct since the construction of the Confederation and Justice Buildings in the 1930s. The building will meet two urgent needs - the House of Commons' requirement for additional committee rooms, and the Senate's need to locate all Senate offices within the Precinct (39 are currently outside the Precinct). Construction will begin in 2005, with occupancy scheduled for 2009.

Creating a World-Class Building

The new Precinct building - as yet unnamed - will accommodate:

• 12 committee rooms
• 39 offices for parliamentarians
• 10 temporary offices for parliamentarians
• offices for committee clerks for the House of Commons
• associated support services
• 300 underground parking spaces

As this will be the first building constructed within the Parliamentary Precinct since the 1930s, and the first built specifically for a parliamentary function since the reconstruction of the Centre Block, it is important that it be a world-class building of which all Canadians can be proud. To meet that objective, it will:

• be of the highest architectural quality, using a design that is compatible with the Gothic Revival architecture of the Precinct while expressing contemporary values and ideas;
• respect its extraordinary setting by enhancing views within the Parliamentary Precinct;
• provide state-of-the-art information and multimedia technologies to connect the government to citizens and to support the operations of Parliament;
• provide safe, efficient and secure work environments for parliamentarians;
• demonstrate sustainability and environmental stewardship of the highest possible caliber.

Victoria Building

The Victoria Building will provide offices and committee rooms for parliamentarians during the implementation of the Long-Term Vision and Plan. After partial renovations are completed in late 2003 to bring it up to modern health and safety standards, the building will be occupied by Senate Protective Services and by 39 parliamentarians until they are able to move into the new Parliamentary Precinct building in 2009. The Victoria Building will then provide "swing" space for parliamentary functions while other buildings are being renovated and will house two Senate Committee Rooms until the end of Long-Term Vision and Plan Phase 3 in 2016.

A Building Rich In History

The Victoria Building was constructed in 1927-28 by the Wellington Investment Commission to provide the government with leased office space. Occupied by the CBC from 1938 to 1964, and then by a variety of tenants including Ashbury College, the federal government expropriated the building in 1973. This recognized Heritage structure will receive new heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and water supply systems.

Site Infrastructure

The Site Infrastructure Project will provide roads, services and material loading facilities for the renovated West Block and the new Precinct building at Bank and Wellington Streets. Work will begin in 2006.

A Two-Phase Approach

The Site Infrastructure Project will take place in two phases.

Phase 1 will include:

• a below-grade loading dock with underground connections to the West Block and the new building for the Parliamentary Precinct
• a new Bank Street access to the Precinct
• an underground pedestrian passageway to run from the new building to the Confederation Building

Phase 2 will include:

• a new circulation link between Bank Street and the Peace Tower terrace
• reconstruction in the Bank Street Valley.

Parking

A key principle of the Long-Term Vision and Plan is to minimize surface parking to reinstate an appropriate green landscape in the Precinct. To meet operational requirements most parking spaces will be accommodated underground as construction projects are implemented.

Building projects north of Wellington Street - in particular, the new Parliament Building on Bank Street and a new Federal Judicial Building west of the Supreme Court- will displace up to 400 Precinct surface parking spaces. To address Precinct parking requirements underground facilities will be provided: 185 with the Federal Judicial Building, 300 with the new Parliament Building, 200 with the Confederation / Justice Infill. Studies are underway to determine the feasibility of constructing another parking facility to meet operational requirements.

La Promenade Building

The La Promenade Building, located on Sparks Street next to the Library of Parliament's temporary home in the former Bank of Nova Scotia Building, will be completely renovated in Phase 1 of the Long-Term Vision and Plan. Repairs to electrical, heating, cooling and life safety systems, and to windows, exterior walls and foundations will extend the building's life by some 25 years. In addition, office modernization and the installation of new cabling for information technologies will create a much more functional workplace.

Linked to the former Bank of Nova Scotia Building by above- and below-grade passageways, the La Promenade Building currently houses administrative offices for the Library of Parliament and House of Commons, as well as the Library's Research Branch and Information & Documentation Branch. It will continue to house these functions after renovations are complete.