Board of Directors Meeting

The NCC’s Board of Directors approved the Parliamentary Precinct Exterior Lighting Master Plan, developed by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). The plan provides guidance for planning the illumination and enhancement of the site, landscape and architecture of Canada’s Parliamentary Precinct, with a primary focus on the buildings and grounds of the Centre, East and West blocks.

The overall concept, “Jewels in the Night,” establishes a hierarchy throughout the Parliamentary Precinct to emphasize the primacy of the triad of Parliament buildings and the Gothic Revival ambiance of the grounds on Parliament Hill.

General strategies in the plan focus on using new technologies and standards to highlight the buildings’ architectural elements through the installation of new light fixtures within the landscape and, where feasible, on the buildings themselves.

The plan is consistent with the NCC’s Capital Illumination Plan, which sets out to enhance the Capital’s nighttime beauty, enrich the resident and visitor experience, support heritage conservation and urban design, and strengthen ties between federal partners, the cities and other public and private stakeholders.

The NCC will continue to work with PSPC on the multi-decade-long plan for the complete rehabilitation of the buildings and grounds of the Parliamentary Precinct, currently being updated. This rehabilitation is heralded as a major milestone project in the NCC’s Plan for Canada’s Capital, 2017–2067, which also supports the development of a specific illumination scheme for the precinct.

The NCC’s Board of Directors approved the concept design for the Library and Archives Canada–Ottawa Public Library joint facility that will create a state-of-the-art facility that marries town and Crown.

Supported by partners and stakeholders, the NCC developed guidelines to facilitate the process and the design phases of this new landmark project in the LeBreton Flats area. The guidelines include design excellence, heritage conservation, visitor experience, universal accessibility, environmental sustainability, public art and public engagement.

The Library and Archives Canada–Ottawa Public Library joint facility’s architecture is inspired by robust and meaningful civic engagement with residents, Indigenous communities, and Canadians from coast to coast to coast, leveraging their input to create an iconic destination and knowledge hub which is set to open in 2025.

The NCC’s Board of Directors approved the 66 percent schematic design for Phase 1 of the asset and workplace renewal of the Place du Portage III complex. Phase 1 of the project includes rehabilitation of the buildings, as well as redesign of the publicly accessible space along its southern face.

The building rehabilitation will preserve key heritage features while creating a modern working environment and updating the complex to meet today’s sustainability targets and accessibility standards. A key objective of the project will also be to transform the complex from a barrier to a gateway between the river and Gatineau’s historic downtown area.

The proposed landscape design will provide universal access to the site and building and create additional places where people can congregate and appreciate the views across the river to Parliament Hill.

The Place du Portage III complex is a “recognized” federal heritage building, which was built between 1973 and 1978. It is currently the workplace of more than 4,700 Government of Canada employees. Once the renovation is complete, the complex will be able to accommodate about 6,800 employees.

The NCC’s Board of Directors approved the program and design guidelines for the proposed National Monument to Canada’s Mission in Afghanistan, a new landmark that will be a lasting tribute to the Canadians who served in Afghanistan and those who supported them at home.

The memorial’s design must be appropriate to the high-profile park setting reserved in the heart of the Capital, protecting views across the site, both to and from the Regeneration Hall in the Canadian War Museum, and preserving a respectful distance from Wellington Street and the National Holocaust Monument.

The guidelines for the national design competition define a monument site that measures approximately 1,000 square metres with a maximum height of seven metres. The monument’s design is to include an open area to accommodate gatherings of up to 250 people.

As the steward of the Capital, the NCC will manage the detailed design process following the design competition, grant final design approval and management of the implementation phase, as well as the long-term maintenance, preservation and management of the monument, once completed. Next steps:

• May 2020: Design competition launch
• Fall/winter 2021: Presentation of design concepts to the NCC’s Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty
• Winter 2021: Selection of winning design
• Winter 2021: NCC Board approval of winning design
• Fall 2021: Detailed design development

The NCC’s Board of Directors approved the site plan concept and Phase 1 for the100 percent schematic design for the TriBro Studios Ottawa project.

The discussion focused on the federal review and approval process that will be required for subsequent phases of the site plan concept and developed design which includes the building’s four sound stages, office space, artist studio and workshop, as well as parking and landscape design.

The Board’s approval of the site plan is conditional on federal land use, design and transaction approval, approval by the City of Ottawa, and a satisfactory lease agreement with the proponents.

In late 2018, the NCC’s Board of Directors approved an amendment to the Greenbelt Master Plan to allow TriBro Studios to build a new film production facility on an 8.4-hectare site at the Greenbelt Research Farm, a former animal research facility which closed in 1998 and is now owned by the NCC.

This project will be located on a portion of the farm designated in the Greenbelt Master Plan as “Federal Facility and Operations.” It has been used primarily as a storage facility by the NCC for two decades. Over the past nine years, a few buildings that required minimal intervention were also leased.

The Greenbelt Master Plan amendment established compensation measures to offset the environmental impacts of the proposed new facility and to meet the NCC’s “no net loss” policy for the Greenbelt. Those compensation measures include the renaturalization of a 21.5-hectare site on Bank Street (the former Capital Golf Centre), removal of existing structures at the Greenbelt Research Farm, and establishment of a naturalized riparian zone along Black Rapids Creek from Woodroffe Avenue to Greenbank Road. Next steps:

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• April 2020: Preparation of the approval letter for schematic design
• Spring/summer 2020: Proponent to refine the proposal in line with Advisory Committee on Planning, Design and Realty feedback and conditions of the approval letter; submit a developed design proposal for NCC review and ensurecompletion of City of Ottawa site plan review
• Fall 2020: Construction expected to begin

The NCC’s Board of Directors approved the revised concept plan and 50 percent of the developed design for the implementation of Part 1 (perimeter wall / landscape ha-ha and the pedestrian bridge), based on the winning team’s design. Today’s discussion focused on the evolution of the design and a strategic approach for the realization of the project.

Through new interpretation, innovative design, improved landscaping and enhanced public access, the NCC is working to enhance Nepean Point park, a spectacular lookout in Canada’s Capital, and to create a permanent legacy for all Canadians.

For the implementation of Part 1 and the demolition work to be undertaken in summer 2020, the statue of Samuel de Champlain, the Anishinabe Scout statue, the Centennial Survey Monument and the Boundary Marker will be removed from the site for restoration and storage. The monuments will be reinstated by 2023, with the completion of the redevelopment project. Details on their reintegration within the final design of the site will be shared in due time.

To ensure the safety and security of the general public during the site redevelopment, access to the majority of the Nepean Point site will be closed until 2023.

For more information, please visit the Nepean Point project page here.

The NCC Board of Directors received an information update on the Building LeBreton project. The project team is working on strategies to maintain moment, while remaining sensitive to stakeholder and market realities due to COVID-19.

The NCC is currently working on developing the request for qualifications (RFQ) for the library parcel (portion of the Albert District) immediately adjacent to the future Ottawa Library and Library and Archives Canada joint facility. The RFQ will be issued when market conditions are appropriate.

The NCC is also planning to augment ongoing public engagement by implementing a Public Advisory Committee. This approach will allow the NCC to seek advice from various stakeholders, as well as to respond to emerging opportunities and concerns during implementation. The process and timeline regarding the composition of the committee will be developed in the coming weeks.

The project team is in the process of working with the City of Ottawa on an application to amend the City’s Central Area Secondary Plan to be aligned with the NCC’s preliminary LeBreton Flats Master Concept Plan.