University of Ottawa - Desmarais Pavilion

Project information

Size of project:       Built on a vast surface of 41 800 m², the building has a two-storey garage with 136 parking spaces and seven floors of offices and classrooms. The total area of the building is 23 015 m².
         
Location:        Ottawa 
         
Duration of construction:        65 days
         
Owner:       University of Ottawa
         
Architect:         Moriyama & Teshima Architects
         
Engineer:         Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Limited
         
Contractor:         Pomerleau
         
Prefabricated components:        462 sandwich panels, 52,000 square feet

Size of project:       Built on a vast surface of 41 800 m², the building has a two-storey garage with 136 parking spaces and seven floors of offices and classrooms. The total area of the building is 23 015 m².
         
Location:        Ottawa 
         
Duration of construction:        65 days
         
Owner:       University of Ottawa
         
Architect:         Moriyama & Teshima Architects
         
Engineer:         Adjeleian Allen Rubeli Limited
         
Contractor:         Pomerleau
         
Prefabricated components:        462 sandwich panels, 52,000 square feet

DESCRIPTION

This extraordinary 12-story structure will provide the University of Ottawa with space for its conference rooms, classrooms, offices and student meeting rooms. It will belong to the Faculty of Social Sciences and the School of Management, including the new School of Political Studies, and be known as the Desmarais Pavilion as a tribute to the contributions of Paul G. Desmarais and his family.

A precast concrete cladding with limestone accents was chosen to evoke other limestone buildings on the campus.

This extraordinary 12-story structure will provide the University of Ottawa with space for its conference rooms, classrooms, offices and student meeting rooms. It will belong to the Faculty of Social Sciences and the School of Management, including the new School of Political Studies, and be known as the Desmarais Pavilion as a tribute to the contributions of Paul G. Desmarais and his family.

A precast concrete cladding with limestone accents was chosen to evoke other limestone buildings on the campus.

“The architectural precast was the ideal choice for the new Desmarais building at the University of Ottawa,” said Jason Moriyama. “The material gave the project a sense of mass and presence in the busy urban context, while being sensitive to the color palette and materials of neighboring historic buildings. The prefabricated panels were an economical and efficient choice to be installed on a construction site surrounded by two main streets and along the transit route of OC Transpo.”

The prefabricated panels were designed as non-composite sandwich walls, with a thickness of 290 mm and a rigid insulation of 90 mm for a total R-value of 21. The logistics of the installation of the panels for the project was very difficult given that the construction site had to deal with a large volume of traffic of all kinds.

“The architectural precast was the ideal choice for the new Desmarais building at the University of Ottawa,” said Jason Moriyama. “The material gave the project a sense of mass and presence in the busy urban context, while being sensitive to the color palette and materials of neighboring historic buildings. The prefabricated panels were an economical and efficient choice to be installed on a construction site surrounded by two main streets and along the transit route of OC Transpo.”

The prefabricated panels were designed as non-composite sandwich walls, with a thickness of 290 mm and a rigid insulation of 90 mm for a total R-value of 21. The logistics of the installation of the panels for the project was very difficult given that the construction site had to deal with a large volume of traffic of all kinds.

Photos