Video: Protecting the pinnacles on the Peace Tower
Join us in this behind-the-scenes look at the efforts to protect 4 pinnacles surrounding the clock face on the Peace Tower. As part of the Centre Block project, these pinnacles needed to be secured until they are repaired. Watch as a team of specialists, equipped with harnesses and ropes, descend the towering heights of the Peace Tower. From breathtaking aerial views to up-close footage of the intricate work being done, this video offers a unique perspective on how we are preserving this iconic building.
Transcript of the video Protecting the pinnacles on the Peace Tower
Start of video
[Music plays]
(Text on screen: Public Services and Procurement Canada)
[Drone shot from above of the Centre Block and the Peace Tower.]
It was a mission to secure and preserve a national treasure.
[Shot of workers in personal protection equipment unpacking harnesses and equipment.]
[Shot of a worker putting on a harness.]
[Shot of a worker pulling rope inside the space.]
[Shot of a worker using harnesses and ropes to climb a section of the Peace Tower.]
A team of experts, armed with harnesses, ropes and nerves of steel, worked on the 92 metre Peace Tower to temporarily stabilize four pinnacles with the utmost precision.
[Shot of a worker in personal protective equipment and white hard hat speaking on camera.]
(Text on screen: Steve Dickerson, PSPC Project Team Leader, Centre Block Rehabilitation Project)
[Drone shot of the Peace Tower with the Ottawa River and city of Gatineau in the background.]
[Close-up shot of the pinnacles, grotesques and the clock face of the Peace Tower.]
The pinnacles there are four of them on each corner of the Peace Tower, and they form an iconic part of the facade of the Peace Tower, including the grotesques and the clock face.
[Shot of a worker putting a secured rope outside of a window.]
[Shot of a worker climbing outside a window underneath the Peace Tower clock face.]
[Shot of a worker looking up through a window where two workers are using harnesses and rope on the outside.]
The pinnacles needed to be temporarily wrapped and secured until they are rehabilitated and stabilized as part of structural repair work to the Peace Tower.
[Close-up shot of the Peace Tower. Below there is a large excavation site with large construction vehicles.]
[Drone shot from above the Peace Tower. We see even more of the large excavation site below.]
It’s all part of the Centre Block Rehabilitation Project – a massive undertaking to restore and modernize the building for future generations.
[Shot of workers in personal protective equipment preparing their ropes and harnesses.]
[Close-up shot of a worker testing a carabiner.]
[Close-up shot of a worker in a harness standing on the top of the Peace Tower. The Ottawa River, West Block and Justice Building are in the background.]
A team of skilled professionals were called in to take on this important task and they began their work from the very top of the Peace Tower.
[Shot of a worker in personal protective equipment white hard hat speaking to the camera.]
(Text on screen: Jacob Binnendyk, Project Manager, Acuren)
[Shot of two workers on the top of the Peace Tower. One worker is lowering a rope down the roof. The Canadian flag is waving in the wind.]
[Close-up of rope being lowered down the rooftop.]
[Close-up of the Peace Tower clock face. A rope is attached to a worker who is climbing down to one of the pinnacles.]
We’re rigging from inside around the flagpole base and some concrete anchors that were installed for us and out top from the flagpole with some rope protection and all the way down to the pinnacles. And protect the ropes against the edge of the roof as well.
[Drone shot of the Peace Tower with a worker attached to a rope who is climbing down one of the pinnacles. Part of the excavation site below is visible.]
Once they safely reached the pinnacles, the workers tied large straps around each one.
[Close-up shot of a worker attached to a rope near one of the pinnacles. Downtown buildings are in the background.]
[Drone shot of two workers attached to a rope hanging on both sides of a pinnacle. A section of the lawn is visible with people walking around.]
[Drone shot of two workers attached to a rope hanging on both sides of a pinnacle. They are wrapping a strap around a pinnacle.]
So the system is fairly simple. It involves using a tie down strap tightened around the pinnacles, so Acuren Industrial Service scales the pinnacle and then ties the strap around the pinnacle itself and tightens it into place.
[Shot of the Peace Tower clock face. One worker is inside the centre of one of the pinnacles on a ladder and another worker is outside the pinnacle.]
[Close-up of a pinnacle. One worker is inside the centre of one of the pinnacles on a ladder, while another worker is spotting him at the base of the pinnacle.]
They also installed monitors on each one to measure vibrations on the Peace Tower during construction.
It’s connected to a data management system that provides us alerts in case there are any issues with the Pinnacles themselves.
[Shot looking up through an inside window showing worker on one of the pinnacles and a section of the clock face is visible.]
Securing the pinnacles was an unforgettable experience for the workers.
[Shot of the Peace Tower clock face and pinnacles with straps around them. One worker is on one of the pinnacles securing a strap.]
[Close-up shot of a worker standing on the top of the Peace Tower. He raises his head and looks into the drone camera lens.]
It was pretty cool, right. Everybody knows what the Peace Tower is so being able to have that story is pretty neat.
[Shot of the Peace Tower clock face and pinnacles with secured strappings. The Ottawa River and City of Gatineau are in the background.]
The major work being undertaken now will ensure the Centre Block will continue serving Canadians for years to come.
[Shot of The Centre Block project webpage. A cursor moves down the page and clicks on the video link.]
[Shot of the The Centre Block video page scrolling down and showing several video links and video thumbnails.]
To learn about 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/PSPC_SPAC)
[Music stops]
(Text on screen: ISBN 978-0-660-71764-7, Catalogue P4-142/2024E-MP4)
(Public Services and Procurement Canada signature)
(Canada Wordmark)
End of video