The former Bank of Montreal (a federally recognized heritage building) as well as an adjacent empty lot to the west has been rehabilitated and expanded for a new use as the House of Commons, Confederation Room. It serves large celebrations, educational and ceremonial functions for Parliament, effectively acting as a new state-of-the-art conference centre. The heritage Bank spans a full block along the west side of O’Conner Street south of Wellington Street. It forms part of the street edge of downtown Ottawa in contrast to the more picturesque gothic pavilions in a park arrangement of the Parliament Hill across the street to the north.
The design approach for the infill and renovation restores the somewhat dilapidated former bank to its original glory and fills in the adjacent empty lot with a contemporary insertion. This addition is deliberately separated from the heritage building by a glass-enclosed atrium that is set back from Wellington Street to ensure that the three-dimensional character of the existing building composition is still visible both from the exterior and the interior. This separation creates a new pavilion through which visitors are processed for security reasons before they arrive in the new atrium which acts as an entry lobby to the former backing hall as well as containing the main circulation routes. The overall detailing and character of the addition is inspired by an analysis of the existing heritage bank, but reinterpreted in a complimentary but contemporary manner to create an appropriate relationship with the bank as well as the surrounding context.
