The Wellington Building

Client Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)
Portfolio Public Buildings
Services
Size 509,132 SF (47,300 SM)
Location Ottawa, ON, Canada
Date 2016

Originally built in 1927, the Wellington Building is a distinctive Beaux Arts building in Canada’s capital city. NORR was chosen to transform it from insurance office building to dignified facilities for the House of Commons. Our design team made sure the remaining character-defining heritage rooms on the ground floor were preserved and restored.

The Wellington Building was stripped back to its internal structural framing, building systems completely replaced and seismic and security upgrades implemented. The demolition of the central third of the building allowed us to insert a more robust structural core. Multi-purpose rooms on the third and fourth floors offer views to the parliament buildings and surrounding city. A plant-filled atrium features a sculptural staircase and links the reconstructed 1927 and 1959 lobbies. On the upper floors, our design team lined the multi-story Library of Parliament with wood panels and sculptural shells of copper recycled from the historic 1927 roof. This monumental building now serves as an important part of the Canadian capitol’s long-term revitalization.

Client Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)
Portfolio Public Buildings
Services
Size 509,132 SF (47,300 SM)
Location Ottawa, ON, Canada
Date 2016

Awards

  • 2019 Canadian Green Building Award in the Existing Building Upgrade Category
  • 2018 World Architecture Community WA Awards (10+5+X (28th Cycle), Realized Project Award
  • 2018 Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) Design Excellence Award
  • 2018 World Architecture Community WA Awards (10+5+X (28th Cycle), Community Selected Award
  • 2017 Copper Development Association Inc. North American Copper in Architecture Award, Restoration/Renovation
  • 2017 Contract Magazine 38th Annual Interiors Awards, Restoration + New Interiors Category
  • 2017 Ottawa Architectural Conservation Awards – Award of Excellence – Restoration (large-scale)
  • 2017 Ottawa Architectural Conservation Awards – Adaptive Re-Use
  • 2016 Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals Award of Excellence in Conservation Architecture
  • 2016 INTERIOR DESIGN Best of the Year Award, Institutional Category Honoree
  • 2015 Consulting Engineers of Ontario – Award of Merit, Abatement, Demolition and Seismic Upgrade

Get In Touch

  • Dathe Wong

    Vice President, Education & Public Buildings, North America

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