Government Conference Centre

The Government Conference Centre is a historic landmark in our nation’s capital as an interim home to Canada’s upper house of Parliament. The Senate of Canada building is a beautiful restoration and transformation of the Beaux-Arts train station, first built in 1912, which then became known as the Government Conference Centre in 1973. The architecture and craftsmanship skillfully compliment and contrast the original features of the building. The updated design includes the addition of community and meeting rooms, offices, and public space to a building that has been mainly off-limits to the public for 50 years.

The building required a complete overhaul of its major systems as well as upgrades to achieve compliance with seismic codes, accessibility, and life safety. The exterior also required attention, particularly the east façade, which had been long neglected. It is now a re-imagined modern interpretation of the stone-columned Beaux-Arts façade. The Senate will occupy this building for the duration of the restoration being conducted on Centre Block of Parliament Hill, then will go on to serve as office and conference space.

LMDG’s scope of services involved reviewing and assessing the level of fire protection and life safety requirements of the National Fire Code (NFC) and the National Building Code (NBC). To make the City of Ottawa review process a little bit easier, LMDG’s reports also provided a comparison between the NBC and OBC requirements. Alternative solutions were also prepared to ensure the project design could be realised without compromising compliance with fire protection and life safety measures.

Photos courtesy of Doublespace Photography