Ontario Construction News staff writer
AECOM Canada Architects Ltd., AECOM Canada Ltd. and AECOM Technical Services Inc., have been awarded a $59.5 million contract to design the TerraCanada National Capital Area project.
The federal government this week announced a plan to build two major laboratories in Ottawa with a combined $1.5 billion budget.
A base contract for construction management services for the TerraCanada NCA facility has been awarded to EBC Inc., for a value of $78.8 million.
Also, a preliminary schematic design has been completed for the $500-million Transportation Safety and Technology Science (TSTS) project.
Both facilities will be located on the main campus of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) on Montréal Road in Ottawa, Ontario.
“As the transportation sector continues to modernize and evolve, it is important that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has access to a world-class facility to conduct the engineering and testing work that supports its investigations,” said Kathy Fox, Chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. “This new facility, which will also include our head office, will allow us to support critical work tied to our investigations and to collaborate with the National Research Council of Canada, with the goal of advancing transportation safety in Canada.”
The TerraCanada NCA site will be used for scientific advancements for sustainable land and resource development, as well as a low-carbon economy. The TSTS facility will assess and reduce transportation safety risks for Canadians.
Design work will begin this year, with site preparation and construction starting in 2026. At peak construction, about 400 workers are expected to be on-site each day and the project will include benefits for Indigenous businesses through an Indigenous Participation Plan.
The TSTS project will relocate the laboratory and head office of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), and the facility will house over 260 employees and scientists from the TSB and NRC. The architectural and engineering services contract for this project was awarded to A49 and B&H, in a joint venture, in 2022, with a preliminary schematic design completed. A Request for Proposals for the construction management services contract is expected to be published on CanadaBuys later in 2024.