GATINEAU, QUE. — Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has announced Plenary PCL Properties Gatineau as the preferred proponent to build a new preservation facility adjacent to its existing Preservation Centre in Gatineau, Que.
Plenary PCL Properties Gatineau is made up of a group of companies that includes Plenary Group (Canada) Ltd., PCL Investments (Canada) Inc., B+H Architects, PCL Constructors Eastern Inc. and ENGIE Services Inc.
A recent LAC release said the proposal from Plenary PCL Properties Gatineau was selected because it meets all of the technical requirements and can be carried out at the lowest cost for taxpayers.
It’s expected a final project agreement will be signed this spring with the project set to start later this year. Commissioning of the new building is planned for 2022.
The release said undertaking the building’s design and construction phases is expected to create more than 1,300 direct and indirect jobs.
The project will be delivered through a public-private partnership under the responsibility of Public Services and Procurement Canada, the department that acts as the federal government’s main purchasing agent, and LAC.
The project will be the first net-zero carbon building dedicated to the preservation of archives in the Americas, the first Government of Canada building built to the requirements of Canada’s Greening Government Strategy, and the world’s largest preservation facility equipped with an automated storage and retrieval system for archival materials.
The vaults within the existing Preservation Centre will also be reconfigured as part of the project to upgrade LAC’s collection storage capacity.
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