Video: Centre Block construction update, spring 2022

Start of video

[Music plays]

(Text on screen: Public Services and Procurement Canada)

[Shot of Centre Block with two cranes set up on either end.]

[Shot of Centre Block and Peace Tower. Flag waving in the wind on a pole.]

The Centre Block is undergoing the largest and most complex heritage rehabilitation project ever undertaken in Canada.

[Drone shot of the Peace Tower and clock. The city of Gatineau is in the background.]

[Shot of Centre Block, the Library of Parliament and the escarpment.]

[Shot of two workers in protective equipment working in front of plywood on the walls.]

[Close up shot of the Peace Tower clock.]

After more than a century of serving parliamentarians and Canadians, this heritage masterpiece and symbol of our democracy is getting a much-needed renewal inside and out over the next several years.

[Shot of worker in protective equipment standing on scaffolding and using a tool on a mural.]

[Drone shot of Centre Block and Library of Parliament.]

[Shot of workers standing on scaffolding in the middle of the House of Commons.]

The work will preserve the heritage elements of the iconic structure while transforming it into a greener, more accessible and better equipped building to support a modern Parliament.

[Aerial shot of the Centre Block.]

[Shot of three workers in a room standing on scaffolding and working on murals.]

Public Services and Procurement Canada and its partners worked on a number of projects in 2021 and 2022. Let’s take a look at what we’ve accomplished so far.

[Shot of the excavation site in front of Centre Block.]

[Drawing of inside the future Parliament Welcome Centre.]

(Text on screen: Design concept)

[Drawing of people inside the future Parliament Welcome Centre.]

(Text on screen: Design concept)

At the steps of Centre Block, sits the excavation site of the future Parliament Welcome Centre. This new facility will welcome visitors to Parliament Hill and is key to making the building more accessible.

[Shot of excavation site in front of Centre Block.]

[Shot of construction vehicles dumping rock into a truck inside the excavation site. Safety cones line the area.]

Excavation work is approximately 65% complete with more than 27,000 truckloads of rock removed from the site.

[Animated drawing of work to be done in front of Centre Block. It shows cranes and the ground building up.]

(Text on screen: PCL/ED, Joint Venture)

Once excavation is complete, work will begin on a renewable energy system for heating and cooling. The geothermal source will use a series of wells drilled into the ground beneath the Parliament Welcome Centre.

[Shot of stones piled on top of each other.]

[Shot of stones and windows on the side the Centre Block.]

A key aspect of the Centre Block project is the restoration of the building’s heritage masonry, which includes almost 400,000 stones.

[Close up shot of stones on the side of the Centre Block.]

[Shot of scaffolding and tarps on the side of Centre Block.]

[Close up shot of scaffolding and tarps on the side of Centre Block.]

Masonry rehabilitation of the north facade of Centre Block has begun, and is now approximately 25% complete.

[Shot of worker holding a laser to clean the stones.]

[Close up shot of laser cleaning the cleans.]

Lasers are being used to help stonemasons vaporize dirt from the stones and carvings.

[Drawing of Centre Block with future Trompe L’ode.]

[Drone shot of the Centre Block.]

Decorative tarps are being installed to protect workers against the elements and to maintain a positive visitors experience during construction.

[Close up shot of the mock up for the Trompe L’oeil tarp of the Peace Tower.]

The tarps will be printed with a realistic image of the Centre Block and will be set to 11:45 am to represent the start time of the ceremony in 1927 to inaugurate the Peace Tower.

[Shot of photo exhibit on hoarding in front of the Peace Tower.]

[Shot of photo of the Peace Tower clock on the hoarding outside Centre Block.]

In addition, a photo exhibit on site highlights the beauty of Centre Block.

[Shot of worker pointing to the ceiling in a room with exposed brick and wires.]

[Shot of room under construction with exposed brick and beams.]

Inside the Centre Block, demolition and the abatement of hazardous materials is over 65% complete and some parts of the building have been taken down to bare bones.

[Shot of worker measuring plaster moulds.]

[Shot of worker in protective equipment using a drill to remove the top of a crate.]

(Text on screen: Fragile)

[Shot of workers in protective equipment standing in a boxed in area with plywood, white tarps and blue tape.]

More than 20,000 heritage assets in the building have either been removed and stored or protected and preserved in place during the construction project.

[Shot of workers in protective equipment standing on scaffolding and removing stained glass windows.]

[Shot of worker using a small tool to clean around the edges of a stained glass window.]

[Close up shot of a panel of stained glass windows and tools on the table.]

[Shot of worker lifting up a stained glass window panel.]

All stained glass windows throughout Centre Block have been removed. They are now undergoing careful and complex restoration work, which includes fixing any damaged glass, re-leading, and cleaning.

[Shot of worker examining a large mural on the wall.]

[Shot of scaffolding and workers inside a room with many murals.]

[Close up shot of a mural of an old map.]

Fine Art conservators were also brought in to help perform the delicate task of removing a number of murals painted or applied directly on walls.

[Close up shot of the corner of a mural on a table.]

[Shot of a mural of a train and people laying on a table.]

[Shot of a worker lifting the corner of a mural on a table.]

[Close up shot of a worker using a stick to clean part of a mural.]

These include artwork by Attilio Pusterla and Arthur Crisp. The murals were taken to an offsite facility for conservation work.

[Shot of a worker in protective equipment using a paint brush on a small piece of material.]

[Close up shot of frescoes on a wall.]

Experts are also in the process of removing 15 Frescoes which are works of art painted on to the walls while the plaster was wet.

[Close up shot of a worker using a small tool on a fresco.]

[Shot of a worker in protective equipment using a knife to remove material from a wall in a room with a number of frescoes.]

Conservators extracted the first one titled “Fearlessness” in November 2021 and will continue this work through Summer 2022.

[Shot of bells inside the belfry of the Peace Tower.]

[Shot of a worker removing a small bell from the belfry.]

The bells in the Peace Tower Carillon fell silent in early 2022 to allow restoration work to begin.

[Animation of 29 bells being removed from the Peace Tower belfry.]

(Text on screen: PCL/ED, Joint Venture)

[Shot of a number of bells of various sizes sitting on beams inside the belfry.]

[Close up shot of the clapper inside a bell.]

29 of the 53 bells were removed and are being sent to the Netherlands to one of the top carillon restoration specialists in the world for cleaning and repairs.

[Drone shot of the Peace Tower clock.]

The major work being undertaken now will ensure the Centre Block will continue serving Canadians for years to come.

[Scroll of the Centre Block project website.]

[Close up of the pointer clicking on “Photo Gallery”]

[Scrolls of Centre Block project photo gallery webpage.]

To see some of this work in more detail, be sure to visit the photo and video galleries on the Centre Block Project website.

(Text on screen: Check us out: facebook.com/PSPC.SPAC, instagram.com/pspc_spac, twitter.com/pspc_spac, youtube.com/PWGSCanada)

[Music stops]

(Public Services and Procurement Canada signature)

(Canada Wordmark)

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