Centre Block

Ottawa, Ontario

SIZE

543,580 sq. ft. / 50,500 sq. m. (Parliament building)

COMPLETION DATE

Estimated 2030

SERVICES

Architecture, Interiors, Landscape Architecture

HOK is helping to design the restoration and modernization of one of Canada’s most iconic structures as part of the largest and most complex heritage rehabilitation ever undertaken in the country.

Built nearly a century ago after the original Parliament building was destroyed by fire, Centre Block houses Canada’s Senate, House of Commons and Library of Parliament. It also includes the Memorial Chamber that commemorates Canadian citizens who gave their lives in military service. It’s one of the country’s most important heritage sites and leading tourist destinations.

The Centre Block rehabilitation project emerged from two decades of planning. The vision is to modernize the physical setting, security and support infrastructure while honoring the site’s heritage as the epicenter of Canadian democracy.

The design team is reorganizing and renovating the entire 1922 Beaux Arts Parliament building, its iconic 302-foot-tall Peace Tower and the adjacent grounds. This includes construction of a new underground Parliament Welcome Centre on and several ancillary projects, including storage facilities for heritage assets and a temporary materials handling facility.

HOK is leading the architectural design and conservation efforts and is architect of record. HOK also is leading the design of the surrounding landscape, including Parliament Hill’s front lawns, where for decades Canadians have gathered in times of protest, celebration and remembrance.

The project will reinstate significant features of the grounds, re-integrating the landscape with the buildings. Existing underutilized exterior spaces will be transformed into enclosed, lightfilled, and welcoming courtyards for visitors and employees, strengthening a connection to nature. The Parliament building itself will also be modernized for heating and cooling, fresh air ventilation, fire protection, electrical wiring, digital infrastructure, sustainability, accessibility and stringent seismic requirements.

The new Parliament Welcome Centre, will link Centre Block to the East and West Blocks to form one unified complex, and will house space for public and educational events, tours, offices and meeting rooms.

Centre Block will be transformed into a carbonneutral facility, reducing its current energy and water consumption by at least 50 percent. The team is targeting LEED Platinum certification for the finished project. The strategies for energy and water conservation include restoration of the building’s envelope with new, modern, energy-efficient windows and insulation added to the roofs, and reduced potable water use through harvesting and reusing rainwater and graywater in non-potable applications.

The project will renew and expand Canada’s most recognized building, preserving the spirit of this unique place while expressing the values of our time.