A smart deal by the NCC to save us money
The National Capital Commission has bought the British High Commission building for $25 million to convert into a new headquarters and save money on rent.
As well, the NCC says, the purchase of the 60-year-old building brings one of the city's landmarks into public ownership, in line with its mandate to secure properties of significant national interest along Confederation Boulevard. An order-in-council has already been issued for the purchase.
However, $25 million is a lot of money. Is this smart business and good for taxpayers?
The NCC, which now rents its office building at 40 Elgin St., known as the Chambers Building, pays about $3 million a year. Valerie Dufour, the NCC's senior manager for strategic communications, says owning its own building would save the federal agency about $35 million over the first 10 years, and $3 million a year thereafter. The savings, Dufour says, would more than offset the purchase price, making it a good deal for taxpayers. The money for the purchase came from the NCC's acquisition and disposal fund.
Architect and urban designer Barry Padolsky agrees the purchase is a good deal. When the building was put up for sale, Padolsky thought a private developer — not the NCC — would snatch it up because of its prized location.
“I am surprised they did it. We've come to expect bureaucratic decisions and not imagination from the NCC, but this shows some imagination,” he said. “I give them credit.”
The NCC has occupied the Chambers building since about 1994 when it signed a 25-year lease with Allied Properties. In 2013, the agency tried to move from the building, issuing a request for proposals for new premises in the city. The planned move was later abandoned. Under a deal that led to its restoration, the Chambers will return to NCC ownership in 2056 when the ground lease expires.
The building at 80 Elgin has served as the British High Commission since its opening in 1964. Described as one of Ottawa's “iconic mid-century modern buildings,” it was designed by British architect Eric Bedford, whose most famous work is the British Telecom Tower in London. The high commission is selling the building and relocating to a new one under construction at Earnscliffe, once the home of Canada's first prime minister,
Sir John A. MacDonald, on Sussex Drive.
Padolsky says the building has an interesting history. When British designers first submitted their plans in the early 1960s, they had in mind a lower building. But the NCC wanted a taller building to match the Chambers and the old Post Office buildings to create a sense of an “urban street wall” to solidify and shape Confederation Square. The design of the area had to fit the Gréber plan for the capital, and the Brits agreed to increase the height. That's how we ended up with today's building.
With the purchase, important public buildings including the Chambers, National Arts Centre and the Prime Minister's Office form a ring around the National War Memorial on Confederation Boulevard.
Padolsky says the high commission building conforms to the form of Confederation Square, and its “glazed” ground floor gives it a retail feel that could enhance NCC programming at street level. “It's like a department store that has its showcase windows at street level and if the NCC exhibits some programming, it could add to the animation of Confederation Square,” he says.
That's part of the NCC's renovation plan. It sees the building as an opportunity to help strengthen and modernize its approach to public engagement, says Dufour. This it will do by creating public gathering places and accessible spaces at street level, including for such initiatives as the Urbanism Lab series, a public speaker series that brings together experts in such topics as urban design, heritage, conservation and sustainability to imagine the future of the capital. The NCC won't be moving in for another two years.
Padolsky says the NCC has done something good that has to be acknowledged. “It is a good buy because it has public benefits,” he says.