HERITAGE OTTAWA

On October 14 architect John Cook of GRC Architects presented an informative lecture on the origins and award-winning transformation of a local heritage building.

The rehabilitation of Building 94 at the Central Experimental Farm (CEF) into the new Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum is an outstanding adaptation of a heritage structure for new purposes. The industrial-scale building was originally constructed by the CEF in 1936-37 as the Machine Building for testing heavy agricultural equipment.  The building has since been used for a variety of purposes, and is currently a recognized Federal Heritage Building at the Central Experimental Farm, a National Historic Site of Canada.

In a joint venture between Baird Sampson Neuert Architects and GRC Architects of Ottawa, Building 94 has been converted into a splendid new learning centre. Services were updated, and large open spaces in the interior were repurposed to create meeting and multi-purpose learning areas. In the course of repurposing, the heritage character of both interior spaces and the exterior building envelope has been retained.

The project won the City of Ottawa's Architectural Conservation Award of Excellence for Rehabilitation in 2014. Recently, the project was honored with the 2015 Ecclesiastical Insurance Cornerstone Award for Adaptive Reuse / Rehabiliation of a heritage structure. The award will be presented next week at the National Trust for Canada 2015 Conference in Calgary, Alberta.

We thank John Cook for sharing his thorough insight into the Building 94 project, and congratulate all parties involved for their award winning achievements.

The lecture was part of Heritage Ottawa's 2015-2016 Free Lecture Series. Click here for details of upcoming lectures.