During the restoration, our team kept the building’s historical façade intact to showcase its original elegance. Other work on the Senate Building included stabilizing and repairing heritage plaster ceilings and walls; repairing iron façades, wood doors and windows; replacing selective stonework and refurbishing light fixtures. One unique detail that has stood the test of time is the restored original train station clock that hangs above the entrance to the former ticketing block.

New additions to the building included seismic upgrades, two new mechanical rooms, a new loading dock, and new office spaces and meeting rooms. While our team worked to preserve the building’s history, we also modernized the building by integrating energy-efficient technologies. We added a green roof, interior and exterior low-voltage LED lighting and all new plumbing with water-saving fixtures. The Senate of Canada Building has earned three Green Globes, a prestigious, internationally recognized certification for improving the sustainability of this heritage building.

We pulled out all the stops to incorporate a uniquely Canadian theme throughout this restoration. Massive bronze Canadian panoramas form the walls of three newly built committee rooms; the largest committee room features a collection of Indigenous art; provincial and territorial shield carvings adorn the walls of the Senate Chamber; and the Canadian maple leaf figures prominently throughout the Senate Chamber, some cast as glass panels, others etched into wall panels and more yet on the colorful carpet. 

Restored and repurposed, Ottawa’s original train station is a fantastic downtown destination that showcases the importance of preserving Canadian historic landmarks.