The Wellington Building

front entrance of historic wellington building

interior of wellington building. historic murals on ceiling and gold arched doors

interior of wellington building. green wall to the right and white spiral staircase on the left

stairs in the wellington building in ottawa

closeup of stairs in the wellington building in ottawa

seating area in the wellington building in ottawa

interior design of the wellington building in ottawa

meeting room in the wellington building in ottawa

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

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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
Size	509,132 SF (47,300 SM)
Location	Ottawa, ON, Canada
Date	July 2016

Download Project Overview

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