A construction site at the corner of Slater and O’Connor will soon be home to the largest new office construction project in downtown Ottawa in the past 25 years.
When it’s completed, the 18-storey, 520,000 square-foot building will be the new head office for Export Development Canada.
Two Montreal-based companies, Broccolini Construction Inc. and the Canderel Group, were chosen to build the $150-million project after a bidding process that started in January 2008.
“This is a landmark project for us, our partner Broccolini, our client EDC, and the city of Ottawa,” said Canderel chairman Jonathan Wener.
Initial work on the site began in early May.
Montreal-based architects Béïque, Legault, Thuot designed the tower to meet LEED Gold standards for water, energy and atmosphere efficiency, as well as environmentally friendly material and resource selection.
EDC currently has about 1,000 employees working in two buildings at the intersection of Laurier and O’Connor.
When the new building opens in the fall of 2011, they would all be brought under one roof.
“EDC’s new head office will bring many benefits for the corporation and its employees, including lower operating costs, leading edge environmental considerations and a state-of-the-art work space,” said Eric Siegel, President and C.E.O. of Export Development Canada.
Building owners Broccolini and Canderel were granted site plan approval by the city on April 6.
EDC has entered into a long-term lease agreement with the joint venture until to 2031.
