(Ottawa January 28th) Today, Canada’s Members of Parliament will gather for the first time to debate in the House of Commons housed under the spectacular glass roof addition to the new West Block. The new West Block represents one of North America’s most important and technically challenging rehabilitation projects. The result is an iconic and functional design blending architectural daring and Parliament’s cherished Gothic Revival style in a space that will inspire Canadians for generations.

Representatives from Architecture49 and EVOQ, the two Canadian firms that re-imagined the new West Block welcomed MP’s and staff to their new home and thanked government partners and the thousands of experts from across Canada who contributed to the success of the project.

“Today’s milestone is the culmination of many years of hard work,” said James Bridger of Architecture49 who led the implementation team. “Behind our collective success was the expertise and ingenuity of thousands of building specialists, tradespeople and artisans from across Canada who came together in a collaborative process rivaling the finest-tuned symphony orchestra.”

“While the glass roof and new structure within the existing courtyard will be the focus for most, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the entire West Block has been completely overhauled and its systems upgraded for the first time in 50 years,” said Georges Drolet, of EVOQ and the lead design architect. “The new West Block is not only beautiful and daring- it is a highly functional building with the latest technologies that our elected representatives will use for generations.”

“The West Block is a landmark building which played a key role in Canada’s development,” said Rosanne Moss of EVOQ who oversaw the heritage rehabilitation. “Our priority was to remain true to the heritage character of the West Block and the parliamentary precinct throughout the rehabilitation process. We hope that MP staff and the entire parliamentary community are inspired by the historic legacy of the building as they help write the next chapter  of Canada’s story.”

The following representatives from EVOQ & Architecture49 are available for interviews.

• James Bridger, Principal of Architecture49 who lead the implementation team
• Rosanne Moss, Director of EVOQ who oversaw the heritage rehabilitation
• Georges Drolet, Director of EVOQ and the lead design architect

To set up an interview with one of the spokespeople, please contact:
Emily Thorne
D: (613) 786-9994
M: (613) 601-1381
Emily.Thorne@hkstrategies.ca

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Download the PDF version of the Press Release and Backgrounder here.

 

Photo: © Tom Arban Photography Inc.

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