Ontario Construction News staff writer
Infrastructure Ontario and the Ministry of Infrastructure have issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for teams to design, build, finance and maintain a new Ontario Science Centre facility located at Ontario Place.
Submissions will be reviewed to shortlist teams with the required design and construction experience, as well as the financial capacity to deliver a project of this size and complexity.
Shortlisted teams will be invited to respond to a Request for Proposal (RFP), which is expected to be released in late 2024. Interested companies must register with merx.com to download the RFQ.
Ontario Place will be a year-round destination built on the mainland at Ontario Place.
The historic Cinesphere and Pod complex will also be preserved, updated and integrated into the new facility. The relocation of the Ontario Science Centre will bring exciting science-based educational programming to the heart of Ontario Place, sparking curiosity and innovation for a new generation of visitors and inspire young minds to envision future careers in science. Science-based programming is also in keeping with the original vision for Ontario Place to be a destination for learning and innovation.
The new site will also integrate and embody sustainability principles, being designed and constructed to achieve targets for energy use intensity (EUI), operational and embodied greenhouse gas intensity (GHGI), thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
The new Ontario Science Centre is being delivered using a Design Build Finance Maintain (DBFM) model. Key benefits of a DBFM model include risk transfer to the private sector over the life of the project agreement, greater cost and schedule certainty, greater potential for design and construction efficiencies, as well as innovation and higher maintenance quality encouraged through performance-based service payments over the 30-year term.
Recommended design concepts for the future public spaces and parkland at Ontario Place show how the entire site will be improved and enhanced, including:
- new trails and parkland for people to walk, run and bike
- picnic areas
- lookout points
- event spaces
- beaches and swimming areas with better access to the waterfront
The recommended designs include five distinct areas across the site: Water’s Edge, Brigantine Cove, the Forum, the Marina and the Mainland
Designs have been recommended through the Environmental Assessment process but are not finalized. A final design for the public spaces and parkland will be completed next year.