Major-General George R Pearkes Building
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Major-General George R Pearkes Building | |
---|---|
Ottawa, Ontario | |
Country | Canada |
Construction started | 1969 |
Completed | 1974 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Smith Carter Parkin |
The Major-General George R. Pearkes Building (often abbreviated as just Pearkes and referred to as '101 Col By') is the principal location of Canada's
The building is currently occupied (as of 2022) by senior defence and military staff, procurement and policy officials, intelligence specialists, legal affairs and staff involved in infrastructure.[2]
History
The building, named after
The concept for the group of buildings was developed by
This design was accomplished with the removal of the station tracks and relocation of passenger rail service to a
Architects John C. Parkin, Searle, Wilby, and Rowland designed the buildings in the then-popular Brutalist style. They were conceived as the first phase of the planned redevelopment, the Rideau Centre, which opened in 1983, being the second phase.
Relocation
The MGen George R. Pearkes Building underwent extensive renovations from the mid-1990s as each floor was gutted to replace the hodge podge of outdated offices and furnishings dating to the building's opening in 1974. Modular office furnishings produced by CORCAN (constructed in Canadian prisons) were installed.
By the mid-2000s it became apparent that the NDHQ complex at the MGen George R. Pearkes Building was overcrowded, forcing DND to spread some headquarters staff across the
Recent cutbacks among high-technology companies in the Ottawa region led DND to consider buying a surplus
In 2017, DND Canada debunked rumors that other federal government agencies will occupy the Pearkes building; it will still be used by DND staff.[5]
In January 2022, the Pearkes building is half empty despite plans to have all staff relocated to NDHQ Carling for renovations to start, which would require four years to complete.[2] In August 2023, a new operational headquarters facility is planned for construction at NDHQ Carling with contracts finalized by 2025, which would eventually allow for the eventual vacating of 101 Colonel By Drive by 2035.[6]
Carling Campus Relocation (Pentagon North)
DND is in the process of relocating some of their personnel to the former
Design
Attack vulnerability
The threat of terrorist attacks in recent decades, particularly following the
A dramatic architectural feature (and potential vulnerability), it was initially cordoned off using temporary concrete barriers. Work has now been completed permanently closing off the thoroughfare that formerly linked Nicholas Street to Colonel By Drive and the adjacent Rideau Canal by building permanent concrete barriers, metal fencing, and a gatehouse equipped with the capability to stop unauthorised vehicles from entering.
References
- ^ "Department of National Defence Building". Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
- ^ a b "Defence downtown HQ is half empty, with renovations needed before more staff can move in". ottawacitizen.
- ^ Defence, National (March 7, 2019). "George Randolph Pearkes". www.canada.ca.
- ^ "Mounties' move to Barrhaven drags on | Ottawa Business Journal". February 10, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-02-10.
- ^ "No other federal departments will be relocated to 101 Colonel By Drive – DND to remain its only tenant". ottawacitizen.
- ^ https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/national-defence-to-spend-more-than-1-billion-on-new-operational-hq-at-carling-campus-site
- ^ "DND employees to begin moving into former Nortel campus in January | CBC News".
- ^ https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2023/02/08/dnd-to-remain-in-downtown-headquarters-for-at-least-another-dozen-years-amid-78-million-renovation/377651/
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