Latest progress on the Centre Block project

Excavating under the Centre Block

The new Parliament Welcome Centre will extend underneath the Centre Block and will connect to the Centre Block in several locations. To make room for this part of the welcome centre, we must excavate under the building. Excavating under the Centre Block is one of the most complicated and technically challenging parts of the project.

Before we excavate, we are building a temporary structure to support the Centre Block. We are working on this now. Learn more about this massive undertaking in the March 2023 quarterly progress report.

Quarterly progress report on the Centre Block project: January 1 to March 31, 2023

Protecting the Centre Block from earthquakes

We are also excavating under the Centre Block to protect the building from earthquakes.

The Centre Block is located in an active earthquake zone. Its original structure did not provide enough protection against earthquakes. To meet modern seismic standards, the building needs to be made more resilient.

The least expensive and most effective solution that avoids harming the building’s heritage fabric is using base isolation. Base isolation involves separating the Centre Block from the Canadian Shield foundation and placing it on more than 500 base isolators. These isolators act as large shock absorbers.

We are using this technology to ensure that the Centre Block and the Peace Tower can meet modern building codes. This upgrade will help them withstand a magnitude 6.0 earthquake.

• How we are preparing the Centre Block to withstand earthquakes
• Earthquake-proofing the Parliament buildings: How base isolation works

Preparing the interior of the building

We carefully removed heritage elements to ensure they are safe and can be restored. These elements include stained glass windows, wood panelling, marble and murals. Now we are removing interior finishes and bringing parts of the building down to their bare bones. This step is called “demolition and abatement.”

“Demolition” refers to removing interior finishes, like floors, ceilings and walls. “Abatement” refers to identifying, separating and disposing of any hazardous materials, such as asbestos.

The sixth floor taken down to its bones. The ceilings, flooring, walls and plaster have all been removed. Other areas of the building with more heritage elements in them will be kept more intact .
(Select to view enlarged image.)

Work is well underway throughout the building, but we are not demolishing or abating all areas to the same degree. For example, the main public areas contain important heritage and architectural elements. These spaces include the:

• Senate Chamber
• House of Commons Chamber
• Hall of Honour

The elements from these spaces will either be removed and stored, or protected and preserved in place during construction.

Protecting heritage elements

To prepare for construction, we numbered and removed all heritage assets, put them into crates and then safely stored them. This includes:

• murals
• paintings
• chandeliers
• heritage flooring
• windows

We covered and protected heritage elements that could not be removed. For example, we covered an ornate staircase in the House of Commons Foyer to protect it.

Photos of protecting heritage elements

Plywood protects an ornate staircase in the House of Commons Foyer.
(Select to view enlarged image.)

Workers carefully dismantle the heritage chandeliers that hung in the Senate Chamber. The huge chandeliers weigh 1,542 kilograms (3,400 pounds) each. The pieces are now in storage.
(Select to view enlarged image.)

Workers carefully remove the stained glass windows in the Memorial Chamber.
(Select to view enlarged image.)

The ceiling of the House of Commons Chamber was decorated with painted linen. Workers carefully remove the fabric and roll it up to protect it.
(Select to view enlarged image.)

Preparing the exterior of the building

A key aspect of the project is restoring the building’s heritage masonry. Over the years, Ottawa’s extreme weather conditions caused the masonry to deteriorate. About a third of the building’s almost 400,000 stones must be removed for repair or replacement. To do this work safely, we are installing scaffolding and tarping around the building.

Decorative tarps

We are installing decorative tarps printed with a realistic image of the Centre Block. They are a type of tarp known as a “trompe-l’œil,” which translates to “trick of the eye.” We are installing the tarps to:

• ensure the work can continue in all seasons, regardless of the weather
• hide the visible impacts of construction activities
• protect workers against the elements, such as wind, rain and snow
• ensure visitors can continue to see the Centre Block

We began installing the decorative tarps in spring 2022. The north façade is now completely covered by the tarps. We are extending the tarps around the other façades of the building as crews perform important exterior building work and masonry restoration.

Workers install decorative tarps to cover scaffolding on the Centre Block. The tarps are printed with a scale image of what the façade of the building looked like before the project began.
(Select to view enlarged image.)

A view of the north façade of the Centre Block. A regular mesh tarp covers the north façade of the building except for the Library of Parliament.
(Select to view enlarged image.)

Decorative tarps cover the north façade of the Centre Block except the Library of Parliament.
(Select to view enlarged image.)

Keeping the Library of Parliament safe

The Library of Parliament in the Centre Block was renovated from 2002 to 2006. Due to the renovations taking place outside its doors, it will remain closed during the Centre Block project, and it needs some maintenance and upgrades before reopening.

• Library of Parliament in the Centre Block
• Library of Parliament

Most of the Library’s collection is now housed in its facility at 45 Sacré-Cœur Boulevard in Gatineau, Quebec. Some other items were moved to Library branch locations across the Parliamentary Precinct.

The branch of the Library of Parliament at 125 Sparks Street is operating as the interim main branch.

The Library in the Centre Block will reopen, and the Visitor Experience Program will return to the Centre Block after the project is complete. Guided tours of the Senate and the House of Commons in their interim locations remain available for visitors throughout the Centre Block project.

The interior of the Library of Parliament’s main branch in the Centre Block with the books removed.
(Select to view enlarged image.)

The exterior of the Library of Parliament.
(Select to view enlarged image.)