Global Centre for Pluralism – Ottawa
“I think the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa reflects positive experiences in the built environment. The former Dominion Archives is a classified federal heritage building recognized for the style and design of the building in addition to its social connections and historical contribution to the development of Ottawa as a capital city. It later served as the Canadian War Museum which moved to a new location in 2005. The building sat vacant for many years but in 2017 was converted into the Global Centre for Pluralism. The adaptive reuse of this building saved this building from the landfill and other issues associated with building vacancy.
This project took special care to understand the context of the building physically and socially to foster the existing benefits of the building and take advantage of some of the missed opportunities. For example, KPMB the conversion architects noticed that the original building did not embrace its location on the Ottawa River so one of the major interventions included a new glazed bay window from the main entrance to provide a visual connection to the water and create a new presence for the building to be seen from across the river. I think it is really important that the architects considered not only how people using the building might experience it but how people using the parklands in Gatineau, across the river, might receive the building as well. The new use as a centre for pluralism encourages diversity and inclusion and that was no exception with the building in which its headquarters were housed. The adaptive reuse project included research into the buried indigenous history associated with this building and the land.
In 2021 a report was commissioned titled “Where Sussex Meets the Kichi Sibi: History and Pluralism at 330 Sussex” This report situates the building as an important place of connection and brings to light the ways in which the transformation of Ottawa into a capital city caused suffering of indigenous people. I think this building shows how plurality can be infused into adaptive reuse projects to provide a way forward and to serve a modern use in a positive way. This project addresses issues of sustainability, reconciliation, heritage conservation, and diversity, I think they were able to do so successfully because of their careful attention to context specific details.” (Booklet Positive Lived Experiences of Quality in the Built Environment 2024, p.47).
Photos Global Centre for Pluralism. Copyright KPMB Architects.
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