Follow the architectural design competition for Block 2

About the process

We are holding a block 2 redevelopment project to renew the city block directly across from Parliament Hill.

As part of the process, we asked interested firms to demonstrate they are qualified to undertake the work. They were assessed based on the evaluation criteria included in the Request for Qualification.

The jury for the architectural design competition for Block 2 will evaluate the competitors’ submissions at each stage of the competition. As a result of the competition, prizes will be awarded to the top 3 design teams.

Competition stage 1

As part of stage 1 of the competition, we invited the pre-qualified firms to submit outlines of their design concepts. All 12 teams have at least one Canadian partner.

Pre-qualified teams

The following teams were selected to participate in the architectural design competition for Block 2:

• Architecture49 Inc. (Ottawa, Canada) in joint venture with Foster+Partners (London, United Kingdom) in association with DFS Inc. Architecture & Design (Montréal, Canada)
• BDP Quadrangle (Toronto, Canada) in joint venture with Herzog & de Meuron (Basel, Switzerland): has since withdrawn from the competition
• Diamond Schmitt Architects (Toronto, Canada) in joint venture with Bjarke Ingels Group (New York, United States), KWC Architects (Ottawa, Canada) and ERA Architects (Toronto, Canada)
• Grimshaw Architects (New York, United States) in association with Daoust Lestage Lizotte Stecker (Montréal, Canada)
• Hassell Ltd. (Melbourne, Australia) in association with Partisans (Toronto, Canada)
• Hopkins Architects (London, United Kingdom) in association with CORE Architects Inc. (Toronto, Canada)
• KPMB Architects (Toronto, Canada)
• NEUF Architects (Ottawa, Canada) in joint venture with Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Paris, France)
• Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes Inc. (Montréal, Canada)
• Watson MacEwen Teramura Architects (Ottawa, Canada) in joint venture with Behnisch Architekten (Boston, United States)
• Wilkinson Eyre (London, United Kingdom) in association with IDEA Inc. (Ottawa, Canada)
• Zeidler Architecture Inc. (Toronto, Canada) in association with David Chipperfield Architects (London, United Kingdom)

Short-listed competitors

All competitors submitted outlines of their design concepts. The jury for the architectural design competition for Block 2 evaluated each submission and selected the top 6 design concepts. The following teams will advance to stage 2 of the competition:

• Diamond Schmitt Architects (Toronto, Canada) in joint venture with Bjarke Ingels Group (New York, United States), KWC Architects (Ottawa, Canada) and ERA Architects (Toronto, Canada)
• NEUF Architects (Ottawa, Canada) in joint venture with Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Paris, France)
• Provencher Roy + Associés Architectes Inc. (Montréal, Canada)
• Watson MacEwen Teramura Architects (Ottawa, Canada) in joint venture with Behnisch Architekten (Boston, United States)
• Wilkinson Eyre (London, United Kingdom) in association with IDEA Inc. (Ottawa, Canada)
• Zeidler Architecture Inc. (Toronto, Canada) in association with David Chipperfield Architects (London, United Kingdom)

Competition stage 2

As part of stage 2 of the competition, we invited the short-listed competitors to submit an advance design concept, continuing work from stage 1.

At the end of this stage, the jury evaluated all submissions received and recommend the first, second and third place teams.

To watch a video of the competitors talking about their designs, please visit the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada’s page: Renewal of Block 2—virtual presentation.

On May 16, 2022, we announced the winner as well as the second- and third-place finalists.

Design concept selected for Block 2

Related links

• Block 2 redevelopment project
• Jury for the architectural design competition for Block 2
• Request for Qualification
• Explore the blocks south of Wellington Street
• Planning for the future of the Parliamentary Precinct campus
• Video: Government of Canada launches design competition for city block facing Parliament Hill