Commercial

The Centre’s spacious interior includes a large, welcoming foyer, along with a variety of specialized spaces to meet the needs of the community. These spaces include meeting rooms, counselling areas, and a dedicated emergency exam room to support immediate healthcare needs. Speech therapy rooms, specialty children's program rooms, and a Day-Away seniors' program room incorporate an inclusive environment for all ages. The facility also provides designated areas to accommodate constantly changing programs and associated staffing levels to ensure an integrated approach to deliver services. 

The layout was crafted with careful attention to efficiency, balancing both functionality and cost-effectiveness while maintaining high standards of accessibility and comfort. Budget-conscious finishes were incorporated to keep operational costs in check as funding was provided by the Ministry of Health and Federal Infrastructure Initiatives. 

The first phase addressed the structure sitting on unusual bearing conditions. The second phase was a response to the growing community and construction of a fourth floor in 2011. Additional steel framing seismic bracing was required to descend down to the original foundation. Delivery of the second phase posed a unique challenge because the Centre had to remain operational throughout the entire construction process. This expansion further enhanced the Centre's ability to accommodate an increasing number of services, staff, and visitors, allowing the WOCRC to continue fulfilling its mission of providing vital care and support to the Western Ottawa community.

As the new office was built in a rural area, the use of wood for the structure, cladding, walls and finishing elements resonates well with the local vernacular. In this building, all load bearing columns, beams, walls, and trusses were constructed with wood. Stone and traditional wood cladding were used to enclose the simple shed-like forms, as a nod to the historic rural buildings of the region. 

For users and visitors alike, the extensive use of wood establishes a theme and atmosphere that inspires an appreciation for the natural environment. The rhythmic expression of the wood columns and beams, the dappled light from the south facing sunshades, and the structural “tree” in the atrium evokes a strong sense of  the local woodlands  and the region’s  rich logging history. This atmosphere is further articulated by the atrium stair, milled from reclaimed ‘stop logs’, once used in the many dams managed by the Conservation Authority.  Along with the stair, the sliding barn door of the kitchenette, and the exterior sign were crafted from the reclaimed stop log timbers. The use of suspended undulating wood slat ceilings calls to mind the numerous boardwalks of the Conservation’s nature trails.  While helping to control sound, these suspended basswood ‘board walks’ provide texture and warmth to the experience of the space.  The sweeping reception desk captures the spirit of the watershed; its rivers, marshes and woodlands and the logging history of the Mississippi Valley region. On an even smaller scale, wood is incorporated into numerous tactile details including local sugar maple door frames, doors and interior wall surfaces, handrails, and millwork. The generous use of wood throughout the building makes a clear and public statement that the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority is committed to this renewable resource. 

The need for large open spaces in the workshop and meeting/board room areas, as well as the requirement for flexibility in the upper office level, were satisfied by using conventional wood trusses. The balance of conventional lightwood framing with the heavy-timber structure allowed for large spans and open spaces to be provided within a reasonable budget, and the work could be done by engaging local trades.

The Embassy of the European Union was a complex suite renovation located on the 17th and 18th floors of an existing office tower in downtown Ottawa. The scope of this project included complete interior office layout, furniture selection, fit-up and cutting in a new internal stair. Spanning the two floors, the new office space had significant built-in security requirements, while maintaining the need to be a dignified and welcoming space. The offices house approximately 60 staff across two floors with a variety of meeting rooms and amenity spaces.

Entering the suite, a sweeping curved wall, clad in maple panelling acts as a gesture of security and unity, while providing very blast-proof protection for the offices behind. The boardroom is the focal point of the office; a boat-shaped board table seats the 27 EU Ambassadors to Canada and is a nod to Canada’s historic ties of trade and immigration to Europe. The orientation of the board room takes advantage of the office’s location with views along Metcalfe Street, pointing through large windows, to Parliament Hill.