Feds approve $217-million contract for Terrasses de la Chaudiere reno

Thestar.com
April 16, 2019
Marco Vigliotti

One of the capital region’s tallest building is getting a facelift.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) announced Monday that it had awarded the $217.6 million contract for the exterior renovations to the Les Terrasses de la Chaudiere complex in Gatineau to PCL Constructors Eastern Inc.

The aging Terrasses de la Chaudiere complex, left, in Gatineau.

Located in the Hull sector, directly across the river from downtown Ottawa, the complex’s central tower ranks among the tallest in the region.

As part of the renovation, approved by the National Capital Commission in January 2017, the roofs, exterior brick wall assembly and windows of the complex will be replaced with a “predominantly glass and aluminum facade with wood elements on the inside of the windows,” according to Public Services and Procurement Canada. The idea is to transform the over 40-year-old building into a more modern, energy efficient and esthetically pleasing facility.

PSPC also plans to remove the glass overhead protective roofs at street level and reopen the facility’s inner courtyard.

“This much-needed work will transform and rejuvenate the complex for the 21st-century needs of the public service,” reads a statement from Gatineau MP Steven MacKinnon, who also serves as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility.

“The updated exterior of the Les Terrasses de la Chaudiere complex will provide a safer, more modern workplace for federal employees and become a landmark in the region,” he said.

PSPC says the construction style used for the existing brick exterior has caused “premature cracking,” and maintains that the renovations are necessary to support its policy of having a “75/25 Ottawa/Gatineau employee ratio” in the capital region.

The complex is home to the headquarters for Canadian Heritage, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, and the Canadian Transportation Agency.

The government says the contract was awarded after an “open, fair and transparent bidding process.” Construction is expected to start this fall and finish by the winter of 2024, according to PSPC, which is also planning to renovate offices and the parking garage in the complex.