The year in review: The Long Term Vision and Plan for the Parliamentary Precinct - Annual Report 2019 to 2020

History

The Centre Block of Parliament, with its iconic Peace Tower, has long been one of Canada’s most important national symbols. Not only is it home to the Senate of Canada, the House of Commons, and the Library of Parliament, but the Centre Block also hosts 1.5 million Canadians and international visitors each year. The Centre Block lawn also plays host to many important events, such as the annual Canada Day celebrations, the Changing of the Guard, the Northern Lights sound and light show, ceremonial and state functions, as well as protests and rallies. It is a place for all Canadians.

The original 1876 building was destroyed by a fire on February 3, 1916, that killed 7 people, including a Member of Parliament; all that remained of the original building was the Library of Parliament. As a result, the Centre Block was rebuilt and completed in 1927 with additional floors and a newly conceived Peace Tower as a national symbol of remembrance and as a beacon of optimism for the post-war age.

The historic fabric of the Centre Block has, as could be expected, deteriorated over its many years of service. The need for its modernization has only become more acute. Given the building’s significance as the home of democracy in Canada, and with its unique heritage status, the modernization must proceed with great delicacy and attention to detail in order to bring this national treasure into the 21st century while still preserving its traditional look and feel.

This modernization and rehabilitation of the Centre Block has been the main driver of the LTVP since its inception. The objective of the Centre Block Rehabilitation Program is to undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation of the Centre block heritage building, including the Peace Tower, and build a new, interconnected, 3-level underground Parliament Welcome Centre (PWC), formerly known as the Visitor Welcome Centre Complex (VWCC). It is Canada’s largest and most complex heritage rehabilitation to date, and one of the largest heritage rehabilitation programs in the world.

The rehabilitation of the Centre Block is being undertaken to address these program and accommodation requirements:

• The Parliament is provided with modernized and accessible accommodations (like Chambers, committee rooms, and offices) that meet the needs of a 21st century parliament (like IT; broadcasting and videoconferencing; physical and cyber security; accessibility and sustainability measures)
• Replace and repair failing components (like masonry, towers, windows, roof, and mechanical and electrical); upgrade elements to meet modern standards and codes (seismic, fire, accessibility, and sustainability); interior and exterior heritage fabric is conserved
• Provide an inviting and engaging experience for Canadians and International visitors to Canada’s Parliament
• Connect the Centre, East, and West Blocks into an integrated parliamentary complex

This comprehensive rehabilitation of the Centre Block will ensure that Canada’s Parliament will serve as a worldwide example of 21st-century design by demonstrating the country’s skills in terms of ingenuity, sustainability, Universal Accessibility, and technological innovation.

Key milestones in the Centre Block rehabilitation project

Commencing with enabling projects in 2017 to 2018, including the move of parliamentarians out of the Centre Block in late 2018 and early 2019, the rehabilitation has reached many key milestones, especially over the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year. Among these are the completion of the assessment program and enabling projects.

3-year milestones

Image description of the 3-year milestones

January 2019

Parliamentarians move out of Centre Block.

Winter 2019

Inserted start site preparations.

Spring 2019

Commenced relocation of monuments and trees.

Summer 2019

Continue site preparations, including dismantling of Vaux Wall.

Fall 2019

Building handed over to PSPC/Construction Manager. Established construction site.

Winter 2020

Completed comprehensive assessment program and enabling projects.
Commenced demolition and abatement.

Spring 2020

Commenced Parliament Welcome Centre excavation.

Summer 2020

Initial schematic design issued.
Commence exterior envelope preparations.

Winter 2020/21

Commence exterior envelope rehabilitation.
Finalize schematic design.

Archaeological work

A comprehensive archaeological assessment was completed on Parliament Hill to identify, record, and protect artifacts before construction. This dig uncovered the remains of 19th-century barracks built for the Royal Sappers and Miners who came to Canada from England to supervise the construction of the Rideau Canal. It also revealed a guard house that, at one point, served as the city of Bytown’s first and only jail. The well-preserved foundation of the guardhouse is considered among the most interesting finds and is being protected in place for future integration within the site once construction is completed.

In addition, over 100,000 artifacts that predate Confederation were found, such as a King George IV shako plate (1820 to 1830), tokens, buttons, and various objects used in day-to-day life at Barrack Hill. These items are being catalogued, analyzed, and stored in accordance with our Archaeological Resource Management Plan, which adheres to professional standards and guidelines respecting archaeological investigations and finds.

PSPC will develop a long-term strategy for the display of the artifacts found. This strategy will be created in collaboration with other federal stakeholders, including Parks Canada, the National Capital Commission, National Defence, the museum community, and our Parliamentary partners.

Universal Accessibility

The Centre Block Rehabilitation Program will ensure that Parliament Hill is open, accessible, inclusive, and reflective of our diverse Canadian society. The Parliamentary Precinct will establish itself as a model of the accessible environment, by providing enhanced dignity, inclusivity and independence for visitors and building occupants. The Program’s mandate also includes the following principles:

• Adapt an approach to Universal Accessibility of the highest standards that meets and/or exceeds current codes and standards for Universal Accessibility
• Define project-specific Universal Accessibility requirements and integrate those requirements early in the design process
• Provide tools for the implementation and assessment of Universal Accessible Design

Sustainability

Another priority of the Centre Block Rehabilitation Program is to demonstrate leadership in sustainability. Centre Block was the highest energy intensity use per m2 in Public Services and Procurement Canada’s portfolio, with the highest in GHG emissions intensity per m2.

A holistic design approach, aligned with the LTVP plans, has been taken to achieve best value for Canadians, with the goals of demonstrating exceptional leadership in sustainability in a heritage context, achieving carbon neutrality, attaining a high level of energy efficiency, and striving for mission zero water and waste. These actions require a combination of integrated building design decisions, sustainable site planning, innovative technology choices and behavioural changes supporting health and well-being.

The Centre Block Rehabilitation Program has developed an all-encompassing vision that aligns with many existing departmental and Government strategies.

Holistic vision

PSPC has begun the process of bringing its vision to life by performing a thorough analysis of design options using PSPC’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Options Analysis Methodology and engagement of key stakeholders, including the Parliamentary partners, the National Research Council, Natural Resources Canada, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and various PSPC groups, including Science and Parliamentary Infrastructure Branch’s Campus Planning and Operations team, and Real Property Services Branch’s Centre of Expertise, Campus Planning, and Operations teams.

Vision themes

Heritage

Reflect the synergy between sustainability and heritage, building on the inherent traits of Centre Block to improve/restore the overall heritage of the building and site while minimizing the impact to heritage fabric and character.

Occupant centric intelligent building

Integrate evolving technology and advanced building systems to facilitate building operation and energy efficiency; but more importantly to enhance the functionality, productivity, safety, quality of life, and well-being of building occupants.

Precinct/community integration

Promote greater integration within the precinct and the community at large through sharing of energy, infrastructure, and lessons learned to elevate sustainability benefits beyond buildings, in collaboration with LTVP and campus planning.

Health and wellness

Advance a built environment that enhances the health and wellness of occupants through better indoor environmental quality (thermal comfort, indoor air quality, acoustics, daylight and views, occupant controls, and healthy, natural and sustainable materials); and organizational culture and practices that enhance physical activity, nutrition, ergonomics, mental and physical health, hygiene, preventive medicine, universal access, equity and transparency, and community.

Climate resilience

A Future Ready design, factoring in future climate trends (increases in temperature, extreme weather events, rainfall, freeze-thaw cycles, etc.), provides greater resiliency against extreme weather events, asset vulnerability and interruptions of business operations. The design also protects and preserves the heritage of the building and site.

Carbon neutrality

Support the Government of Canada’s commitment to take action on climate change, and PSPC’s commitment to a carbon-neutral portfolio by 2050 and preferably by 2030.

Environmental stewardship

Promote a safe, accessible, and sustainable exterior environment for the enjoyment and well-being of Canadians for generations to come. Demonstrate greater environmental stewardship; promote biodiversity; increase green space; reduce fossil fuel vehicle usage by supporting greener, multimodal transportation; and enhance Universal Accessibility.

Resource stewardship

Promote responsible stewardship of our resources (energy, water, land, and raw materials) by adopting principles that consider the full life cycle of resources, from sourcing to transformation, to manufacturing, to consumption and disposal. Promote responsible stewardship now and into the future.

Existing Centre Block: total energy use

Text version of existing Centre Block: total energy use

Table 1: Existing Centre Block: total energy use

Facility	Building floor area in meters squared	Total Energy use in gigajoules (GJ)	Total Emissions in tonnes of GHG emissions reduced or avoided (tCO2e)	Energy Intensity in kilowatt-hour  per meter squared (kWh/m2)	Total Energy Use in equivalent kilo-watt hours (ekWh)
C.D. Howe Building	148,410	149,611	7,512	280.03	41,558,623.69
Lester B. Pearson	102,524	123,938	5,942	335.8	34,427,248.12
Major-General G. R. Pearkes Building	105,494	108,679	5,162	286.17	30,188,671.12
Centre Block	61,985	105,335Table 1 note 1	6,126	472.05Table 1 note 2	29,259,735.25
National  Library and Public Archives	47,691	51,315	3,491	298.89	14,254,083.92
Jim Flaherty Building	69,000	47,448	1,937	191.02	13,180,126.37
Supreme Court	30,825	42,763	2,551	385.35	11,878,558.94
East Memorial	37,140	30,503	1,588	228.14	8,473,064.49
Confederation Building	27,934	22,425	1,111	223.00	6,229,232.50
West Memorial	33,620.8	19,628	1,578	162.17	5,452,122.80
Wellington Building	47,295.2	15,007	463	88.15	4,168,687.37
Total	n/a	n/a	116,201.46	n/a	n/a

Existing Centre Block: greenhouse gas emissions

Text version of existing Centre Block: greenhouse gas emissions

Table 2: Existing Centre Block: greenhouse gas emissions

Facility	Building floor area in meters squared (m2)	Total Emissions in tonnes of GHG emissions reduced or avoided (tCO2e)	GHG Intensity in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent emitted per square meter(kgCO2e/m2)	% of National Capital Region emissions	National Capital Region average	PSPC portfolio average
Centre Block	61,985	6,126	98.8 Table 2 note 1	5.3% Table 2 note 2	53	35
Supreme Court	30,825	2,551	82.7	2.2%	53	35
National Library and Public Archives	47,691	3,491	73.2	3.0%	53	35
Lester B. Pearson	102,524	5,942	58.0	5.1%	53	35
C.D. Howe Building	148,410	7,512	50.6	6.5%	53	35
Major-General G. R. Pearkes Building	105,494	5,162	48.9	4.4%	53	35
West Memorial	33,620	1,578	46.9	1.4%	53	35
East Memorial	37,140	1,588	42.8	1.4%	53	35
Confederation Building	27,934	1,111	39.8	1.0%	53	35
Jim Flaherty Building	69,000	1,937	28.1	1.7%	53	35
Wellington Building	47,295	463	9.8	0.4%	53	35
Total	n/a	116,201	n/a	11	53	35

Stakeholder engagement

The program has established a robust integrated governance with our Parliamentary partners at both the senior administration and political levels to ensure that there is greater transparency on the status of the program and engagement on key decisions required to finalize design.

As in previous years, PSPC has regularly appeared before parliamentary committees throughout the 2019 to 2020 fiscal year to present and seek direction on a wide variety of subjects. Several key directions have been obtained including confirmation that the Senate and the House of Commons Chamber modernization will occur within their existing footprints, and the number and size of Committee rooms for the House of Commons that the program will accommodate. Parliamentary engagement will continue in order to obtain several key decisions including, but not limited to, Chamber Lobby and Gallery design strategies for the House of Commons, use of the new space infill above the Hall of Honour, and security requirements in order to finalize schematic design.

Overall, these appearances will continue tallow parliamentarians to be part of the design development of the Program in order to continue advancing work, but also provide a venue to keep parliamentarians up to date on the status and development of the Program.

These collective efforts have allowed us to achieve issuing the final draft of the schematic design in the summer of 2020, with the intentions of resolving key design decisions for the final schematic design by winter 2020.

PSPC collaborates with many external stakeholders as well. For example, PSPC works with the Department of Canadian Heritage, the National Capital Commission, and the City of Ottawa to maintain a positive visitor experience on Parliament Hill throughout the duration of Centre Block Rehabilitation Program. Examples include the relocation of 7 national monuments outside of the construction site so that they may remain accessible during the rehabilitation, and special accommodations, training, and personal protective equipment have been provided to the Dominion Carillonneur so that she may continue to play the carillon bells of the Peace Tower as much as possible during the construction process.

PSPC is working alongside these stakeholders and with the Parliamentary partners to maintain public and visitor events, such as the Northern Lights Sound and Light Show, the Changing of the Guard, and Yoga on the Hill.

Employment possibilities

Block 2 will be the first of the 3 blocks to be fully restored and modernized under the LTVP. PSPC’s goal is to transform the existing mix of aging buildings into an efficient and innovative complex that will offer office space for the Senate and House of Commons, branch space for the Library of Parliament, and renovated retail space on Sparks Street. This project is expected to generate 10,700 jobs (person-years of employment), including employment opportunities for Indigenous peoples through Indigenous benefits criteria in the procurement vehicles.

The design competition

The rehabilitation of Block 2 will be launched with a design competition. PSPC will invite architectural firms to submit proposals, which will be judged by an independent, professional jury. The winning designs will be of the highest calibre, appropriate to and enhancing the image of Canada and its Capital region on the world stage.

The decision to conduct a design competition flowed naturally from the high-profile location of Block 2 amidst parliamentary buildings and its location directly across from the Peace Tower. Such architectural competitions are not only among the most effective ways to achieve excellence in building design and architecture, but they also offer an excellent way to evaluate multiple design proposals in a formal, professionally driven procedure, in order to find the best solution for a defined need. They have a long history of use in Canada and around the world, as an example, Canada’s original Parliament Buildings were built as a result of an 1859 design competition.

Overseen by professional advisors designated by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), the process will begin with an open request for qualification, inviting all interested parties to prove they have the skills and track record to undertake the work.

An independent jury will be announced, and up to 12 of the responding firms will be shortlisted and invited to participate in the design competition. The competition will proceed in 2 stages:

Stage 1:

Shortlisted competitors will submit an outline of their design concepts, and the jury will evaluate these to reduce the number of competitors to a maximum of 6 who will advance to stage 2.

Stage 2:

The competitors will then submit advanced design concepts, further detailing designs they submitted in the previous stage. The jury will evaluate the submissions and prizes will be awarded to the top designs.

Operational accomplishments

In light of the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Science and Parliamentary Precinct Branch (SPIB) proactively worked towards ensuring the health and safety of workers, such that essential services and maintenance of the precinct could continue uninterrupted.

PSPC successfully operated the West Block, Parliament Welcome Centre and the Senate of Canada Building without any interruptions to parliamentary business this past year. In addition, PSPC developed and implemented a transition plan to transfer 3 buildings from the Building in Transition portfolio to the Branch’s Operations team who manage the ongoing operations and maintenance of the precinct. The West Block and Parliament Welcome Centre Phase 1 were successfully transferred in Fall 2018, while the Senate of Canada Building changeover took place in Winter 2019.

The Department has improved its strategic stance regarding future accommodation requirements through 2 initiatives: the Accommodations Standard and the Integrated Campus Functional Programming. The Accommodations Standard details the types of spaces required to perform asset maintenance activities and, by defining future accommodation needs/capacities for the Parliamentary precinct, can achieve efficiencies in campus operations. Further, by creating a detailed Functional Program for the Operation Sector’s entire portfolio of assets, PSPC has realized greater opportunities to integrate the campus and plan strategically for future projects.

Engagement

PSPC established and chaired an international Operations Working Group through the International Network of Parliamentary Properties (INPP). As part of this initiative, PSPC presented to other organizations around the world on Canada’s approach to the integration of operations into rehabilitation projects, particularly as several international counterparts will soon be facing similar transitions.

Winterlude 2020

With the choice of Sparks Street as an official site for Winterlude 2020, an opportunity arose to improve this visitor experience, support the municipal Sparks Street Renewal Project, and tell the story of the precinct renewal effort to thousands of visitors. Sparks Street hosted not only the Winterlude kick-off party but was also a prime destination as host to the annual ice carving challenges.

PSPC created beautiful stained glass window displays for its Sparks Street buildings that were modelled after the windows in the House of Commons. The original art work upon which these designs were based was created in 1967 to celebrate Canada’s Centennial Year. The designs for the Winterlude stained glass window exhibits were praised by many, including the Chair of the Sparks Street Business Improvement Area.

In collaboration with the Department of Canadian Heritage Winterlude team, PSPC also installed a “selfie” ice sculpture photo opportunity in front of one of the stained glass window exhibits. The images were subsequently shared widely on social media.

Accessibility in the Parliamentary Precinct

The Branch Accessibility Team continues to ensure that the Parliamentary Precinct becomes a leader and model in Universal Accessibility. In accordance with Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act, PSPC will exceed accessibility standards throughout the rehabilitation of the Parliamentary Precinct by making the precinct more family-friendly, inclusive, and open to the public.

Universal Accessibility Review and Action Plan

PSPC has initiated the development of this plan with the goal of developing a clear and defined strategy for Universal Accessibility in the Parliamentary Precinct. This strategy consists of the following phases:

• Phase 1: Research and identify best practices in a benchmarking report
• Phase 2: Value statement and goals
• Phase 3: Compile best practices in Universal Accessibility
• Phase 4: Determine the current state of buildings and grounds by doing audits on key facilities
• Phase 5: Develop the action plan and its corresponding implementation strategy

Phases 1 and 2 are complete, with the balance scheduled for completion in the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year.

Sustainability in the Parliamentary Precinct

In 2019 to 2020, PSPC undertook a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment based on Engineers Canada’s Public Infrastructure Engineering Vulnerability Committee (PIEVC) Protocol for the buildings and grounds of the Parliamentary Precinct. In order to understand climate change impacts and building resilience, PSPC looked for associated risks and opportunities arising from climate change and assessed a representative sample of precinct assets (recently rehabilitated buildings, buildings planned for major rehabilitation in the near future, new construction, existing buildings not planned to undergo major rehabilitation for 15 or more years, underground assets, and grounds). The next phase, planned for 2020 to 2021, is to develop recommendations and guidelines for climate-resilient design and operations for all precinct assets.

The past year has also seen much improvement in terms of the energy efficiency of PSPC buildings and operations. The Department successfully launched a heritage building envelope study, an innovative 3-year research project that brings together Government, academic, and private-sector partners with extensive experience in Canada and abroad, including the National Research Council’s High Performance Buildings program, Concordia University (Montréal), and Ghent University (Belgium). In 2019 to 2020, the research team completed a literature review of best practices in North America and Europe to improve the thermal energy performance of heritage buildings. Future phases will include an assessment of recently rehabilitated buildings in the Parliamentary Precinct, along with other important heritage projects in the National Capital Region, to understand the effectiveness of different approaches and their implications for heritage structures.

The government also undertook deep energy/GHG retrofits as part of the major rehabilitation of the West Block and the Senate of Canada Building completed in December 2019. Deep energy retrofits included the installation of LED lighting, waste heat recovery HVAC systems, and innovative window systems that balance energy, heritage, and security requirements.

It established a dedicated project delivery team to convert the heating systems in Parliamentary Precinct buildings from steam to hot water, in support of the modernization of the central heating/cooling plants.

The government completed a Project GHG Options Analysis for the Centre Block Rehabilitation Project to incorporate environmental considerations in financial business processes when selecting real property equipment.

It also operationalized building automation (i.e. Smart Buildings) in all occupied Parliamentary Precinct buildings, thereby contributing to ongoing carbon management.

The government purchased renewable energy certificates (RECs) to offset the GHG emissions of the Centennial Flame.

As of March 31, 2020, PSPC has reduced GHG emissions in the Parliamentary Precinct by 60% from the 2005 to 2006 baseline.

Indigenous engagement

In 2019 to 2020, PSPC began to implement an integrated approach to engagement with Indigenous partners to ensure they are effectively involved in various projects and initiatives across the Parliamentary Precinct. As part of plans for public consultations on the LTVP, the Department engaged with national and regional organizations to determine best approaches and strategies to secure meaningful involvement and input from Canada’s Indigenous community. PSPC also held meetings with communities, Tribal Councils, National Indigenous Organizations and institutions, and other federal Departments to establish the foundations for increasing the socio-economic participation of Indigenous peoples in projects in the precinct and across the National Capital Area. A key element of this foundational work was to acquire the program tools critical to build capacity with Indigenous partners to foster the expertise to work closely with PSPC. To that end, PSPC secured approval for Vote 10 (grants and contributions) program authorities pursuant to the Strategic Partnership Initiative through Indigenous Services Canada. These authorities will enable PSPC to develop multi-year, multi-party partnership agreements with Indigenous partners, federal Departments, and other key groups. PSPC plans to implement these agreements in the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year.

The Indigenous Peoples’ Space

In accordance with PSPC’s Minister mandate commitment, the Department continued to work closely with the Department of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNA) and Indigenous partners, including representatives from the Assembly of First Nations, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Métis National Council, and the Algonquin Nation. PSPC supported and implemented plans leading to the completion of a short-term use project for existing space at 100 Wellington Street, including a retrofit of the first floor and part of the second floor. The area includes meeting and engagement facilities, as well as exhibits about First Nations, Inuit, and Métis cultures. Funding for the short-term use of 100 Wellington Street was approved to establish an Indigenous presence there while work is being completed on the longer-term vision and design. PSPC continues to support ongoing dialogue with CIRNA and Indigenous partners to identify the next steps in the development of the Indigenous Peoples’ Space.