[Gatineau] Library and Archives Canada Preservation Centre II | Completed

[J.OT13]

Feds unveil designs for $330M Library and Archives Canada building in Gatineau

OBJ, June 18, 2019


The new block-shaped Library and Archives Canada preservation centre will sit behind the existing structure in Gatineau. Photo provided

A major federal construction project in Gatineau will kick off shortly, with expectations to generate “hundreds” of jobs over the coming years.

Library and Archives Canada’s new preservation centre, designs of which were unveiled at a press conference Tuesday morning, will be the federal government’s first “net-zero carbon” building. The new structure will sit behind the existing preservation centre off the Boulevard de Carrefour in Gatineau.

In a release, the feds touted the new build as a first-of-its-kind archival facility in North America and a solution to LAC’s increasingly pressing crunch for space. The centre will be constructed from clean building materials and designed to produce minimal greenhouse gas emissions while leaning on carbon-free fuel sources.

The LAC centre’s construction, valued at $330 million, is part of a public-private partnership between the federal government and Plenary Properties Gatineau, a consortium formed of Plenary Group, PCL Constructors and Engie Services. The private-sector group will design, build and finance the project as well as operate and maintain the facilities – though these costs are not included in the initial contract.

Construction will begin later this year and is expected to create “hundreds of new jobs,” according to a government release. The new archives facility is set to open in 2022.

https://obj.ca/article/feds-unveil-d...lding-gatineau

[J.OT13]

Passed by today. The new archives facility is well underway; 3 cranes and about 3 levels up.

[J.OT13]

I assume this is from early Fall 2020.


https://www.peri.ca/projects/institi...gatineau2.html

[Acajack]

Things are much more advanced than that now. The cube is fully formed and quite a bit taller than that I am pretty sure.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Things are much more advanced than that now. The cube is fully formed and quite a bit taller than that I am pretty sure.

Someone posted a more recent pic on the O-Train Fans Discord yesterday, but the source was not mentioned.

[J.OT13]

Thread from Library and Archives detailing construction from start to today (with pics).

https://twitter.com/LibraryArchives/...44432354283521

Here's the most recent (December 2020).


https://twitter.com/LibraryArchives/...44432354283521

[J.OT13]

Renderings:

[Kitchissippi]

"This art piece is called «Borg Cube colliding into Starship»"

It's cool that there's room in Gatineau for stuff like this.

I could see some sci-fi movie wanting to use this as a set.

[HomeInMyShoes]

^Lol. When I saw the construction and the cube, I totally thought, "paint it black!"

It looks good though. I really like the form.

[J.OT13]

Provides a very interesting contrast to the glass preservation centre.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

I assume this is from early Fall 2020.


https://www.peri.ca/projects/institi...gatineau2.html

Interesting internal structure. I can only assume that those are separate "chambers" to support different environmental conditions in each (heat, humidity, etc), as well as firewalls between them. It's certainly more structure than a concrete building of this size would normally require. I suppose that each chamber will require it's own lift system as well.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by rocketphish

Interesting internal structure. I can only assume that those are separate "chambers" to support different environmental conditions in each (heat, humidity, etc), as well as firewalls between them. It's certainly more structure than a concrete building of this size would normally require. I suppose that each chamber will require it's own lift system as well.

Ah, here we go... I should have read the link first

The new facility will provide 21,240 cubic metres of additional storage capacity and will be equipped with an automated storage and retrieval system. It is comprised of 6 vaults, each measuring 58 m long by about 10 m wide by 29 m high, requiring approximately 534 lineal metres of poured concrete walls.

[Harley613]

Last weeks progress. It is a really imposing and monolithic structure for it's location.
Photo_6553660_DJI_60_jpg_4114870_0_2021319125536_photo_original by harley613, on Flickr

[J.OT13]

Once again Harley, thanks for all these great shots!

I'm really liking the contrast between the 90s preservation centre and the new one.

[J.OT13]

https://twitter.com/mchkzn/status/1383516961632440326

[OTownandDown]

Reminds me of this:
https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threa...e-u-c.1865025/

Also love the 90's design.

"Lets make it temperature and humidity controlled"
"OK, but can we still surround the building with a greenhouse?"

[J.OT13]

Unable to find a related article, but Telejournal Ottawa-Gatineau a few days ago had a short segment informing the public that work has been halted due to structural issues.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Unable to find a related article, but Telejournal Ottawa-Gatineau a few days ago had a short segment informing the public that work has been halted due to structural issues.

Article in Le Droit.

https://www.ledroit.com/actualites/g...152ef316589ccb

[J.OT13]

Preservation Storage Facility




The Preservation Storage Facility opened in 2022. Its construction allowed us to:

• increase our storage capacity
• provide the conditions needed for long-term preservation
• keep Canada's documentary heritage secure

The building’s primary function is to provide efficient storage for archival records. It also has specialized work and consultation rooms.

The simple design maximizes usable space and allows for an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS). The building is energy efficient and sustainable. At the time of its construction, it was:

• the largest automated archival centre in the world
• the first net zero carbon archival centre in the Americas
• the first federal facility built by Library and Archives Canada to meet the requirements of Canada's Greening Government Strategy standards

This building reinforces Library and Archives Canada’s (LAC) reputation as a leader in the global documentary heritage community.

The vaults



Six large vaults, totaling more than 21,000 cubic metres, store paper, microfilm and motion picture film.

The vault structure is made of concrete, a material that produces little dust and minimizes noise and vibration.

Automated building systems maintain precise levels of:

• light
• temperature
• humidity
• airborne particles

The building uses state-of-the-art fire prevention and suppression systems.

There are two distinct environmental conditions in the building. Vaults 1 to 5 containing paper are kept at 10°C and 40% relative humidity.

Vault 6 containing paper documents, microfilm and motion picture film is kept at 6°C and 30% relative humidity.

The automated system



Each vault has an automated storage and retrieval system. This system uses a lift and a crane controlled by our staff for the removal and return of documents to the vaults. The system operates in the dark and limits the opening of the vaults, which saves energy and maintains optimal preservation conditions.

Moving the collection

The transfer of documents and archives to the Storage Preservation Facility has begun. Learn about the enormous task of moving more than 590,000 containers into their new vaults.

https://library-archives.canada.ca/e...-facility.aspx

[Richard Eade]

I guess that decoration of those HUGE blank 'canvases' wasn't included in the design/budget.

How about one side changed to look like book spines on a library shelf?
A second side could be Family Trees, since LAC is a great resource for that research.
Maybe old motion-picture equipment could be depicted on another.

So many possibilities.