Video: Government of Canada launches design competition for city block facing Parliament Hill

Start of video

[Music plays]

(Text on screen: Public Services and Procurement Canada)

[Wide shot of the Chateau Laurier, East Block, Centre Block, West Block and several other buildings.]

The Parliamentary Precinct.

[Shot of Peace Tower with clock and gargoyles.]

[Shot of the interior of the Memorial Chamber.]

[Shot of newly completed House of Commons chamber in the West Block.]

[Shot of the centennial flame with the Centre Block in background.]

Its architecture and heritage features represent our past and present.

[Wide shot of the Parliament Buildings.]

[Outside shot of the West Block.]

[Aerial view of new glass roof on West Block.]

[Shot of the workers talking in Centre Block.]

[Shot of a wheelchair entering a room and driving over tactile paving.]

[Shot of a hand touching braille on a wall sign.]

The Government of Canada is now modernizing the Precinct and making it greener, safer and more accessible for future generations.

[3D Image of the aerial view of the Parliamentary Precinct with several buildings highlighted in yellow including Centre Block, West Block, East Block and Senate of Canada.]

[Close-up shot of Block 2, which is highlighted with a green color.]

(Text on screen: Block 2)

As part of these efforts, the block directly facing Parliament Hill, known as Block 2, will undergo an impressive renewal.

[Shot of buildings in Block 2 on Wellington Street.]

[Shot of buildings in Block 2 on Sparks Street.]

We will soon launch an architectural design competition to transform this mix of aging buildings into an innovative complex that will meet the needs of a modern Parliament.

[Aerial shot of Block 2 buildings on Wellington Street. All other buildings in the image are faded out.]

Block 2 covers an approximate area of 9,800 square metres and includes 2 vacant parcels of land and 11 buildings—many of which are designated heritage buildings.

[Shot of building at 100 Wellington.]

2 of the 11 buildings in the block have been dedicated for the development of an Indigenous Peoples’ Space.

[3D animation tour of all the Block 2 buildings.]

(Text on screen: Union Bank 128 Wellington; Victoria Building 140 Wellington; Valour Building 151 Sparks; Bank of Nova Scotia 125 Sparks; Fisher Building 115 Sparks; Bate Building 109 Sparks; Birks Building 107 Sparks; Canada Four Corners 93 Sparks; Marshall Building 14 Metcalfe)

While these buildings currently stand independently from the design competition, the department will ensure the design and construction for the entire block honour and respect the significance of this space, which sits at the heart of Canada’s Parliamentary Precinct.

Preserving the heritage of Block 2 is at the heart of the project.

Redesigned as a whole, the block will provide office space for the Senate and the House of Commons. It will also include space for the Library of Parliament and renovated retail space on the Sparks Street Mall.

[Animation of many jury members names are showing on screen in green boxes.]

(Text on screen: Jury Members. Izabel Amaral, Architect, Academic; Anne Bordeleau, Architect, Academic; Geneviève Cadieux, Visual Artist; Christina Cameron, Professor Emeritus; Brian Cody, Engineer, Academic; Carmela Cucuzella, Associate Professor; Robert Eastwood, Architect (retired from practice); David Fortin, Architect, Academic; Bruce Haden, Architect, Urban Designer; Peter Herrndorf, Media Leader; Piita Irniq, Former Commissioner to Nunavut, Artist; Matthew Kreilich, Architect; Elsa Lam, Architectural Journalist, Historian; Pierre Leclerc, Architect, Artist; Dorte Mandrup, Architect, Professor; Brian McDougall, Public Works Manager, Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation; Anne McIlroy, Architect, Urban Designer; Kevin O’Brien, Architect; Lisa Prosper, Scholar, Author; Sabrina Richard, Arts and Cultural Consultant; Jutta Treviranus, Academic; Kirby Whiteduck, Former Algonquins of Pikwakanagan Chief, Author; Richard Young, Architect; Steven MacKinnon, Member of Parliament, Parliamentary Secretary for the Minister of Public Services and Procurement; Bruce Stanton, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada; Senator Donald Neil Plett, Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on the long-term vision plan)

In collaboration with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, a multidisciplinary jury, composed of design professionals and respected members of Canadian academia and civil society, as well as parliamentary representatives, will help ensure the development of a design that complements one of the most unique settings of parliamentary buildings in the world

[Timelapse shot of Parliament Hill.]

—one in which Canadians can continue to take pride.

[Music stops]

(Text on screen: Check us out: facebook.com/PSPC.SPAC, instagram.com/pspc_spac, twitter.com/pspc_spac, youtube.com/PWGSCanada)

(Public Services and Procurement Canada signature)

(Canada Wordmark)

End of video