The Lansdowne Park site received a considerable facelift between 2011 and 2014 under the direction of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG).
Following the demolition of the South Side stands and the Coliseum building, the existing Civic Centre & North Side stands, Aberdeen Pavilion and Horticulture Building were the focal point of the redevelopment of the site, which includes an underground parking garage, two condominium towers, one commercial office building, multiple retail buildings and new South Side stands.
AAR, in addition to its various involvement in the multitude of buildings throughout the site pre-2011, is the engineer of record for the new underground parking garage, the two condominium towers, the commercial office building as well as the seismic retrofit and fit-up of the Horticulture Building. AAR also acted as advocate advisor for the City of Ottawa related to the relocation of the Horticulture Building.
The underground parking garage is a one storey underground reinforced concrete structure spanning over 47,000m2 and extending around the North and West sides of the existing Civic Centre. Though mainly hidden from public view upon completion, the garage has three individual ramps for access.
In addition to its large footprint, the underground parking garage also acts as the foundation for a total of nine superstructures including the condominium towers, retail buildings and Horticulture Building, and has multiple connections to the Civic Centre and South Side stands.
The two condominium towers and one commercial office building were constructed by Minto, who purchased the air rights related to these locations, and consist of reinforced concrete structures. The Vibe condominium, at the corner of Bank and Holmwood, stands at 12 storeys plus a mechanical penthouse with the first 2 storeys acting as retail space. The Rideau condominium, located adjacent to the Rideau Canal with a direct view of the sports field, stands taller at 20 storeys plus a mechanical penthouse. The commercial office building, between The Vibe and The Rideau, stands at 6 storeys with a mechanical penthouse with retail space occupying its ground floor level.
In its original location, the Horticulture Building was not ideally placed to suit the redevelopment plans, and as such, was relocated on site. In order to suit the layout of the new underground parking garage, the first phase of the parking garage was constructed to act as the foundation for the relocated Horticulture Building, which required careful coordination.
Cumulatively, the joint effort of the various Consultants, Contractors and Stakeholders has created a successful sports and entertainment destination in Ottawa.