Infrastructure Ontario (IO), the corporation owned by the Province of Ontario, has announced that the Macdonald Block Reconstruction Project is moving forward with the selection of Adamson Associates Architects as the planning, design and conformance (PDC) team.

Adamson Associates Architects will establish the guidelines and performance requirements the successful reconstruction team must meet when preparing the project’s design. The PDC team will also monitor reconstruction progress and provide coordination and oversight during the reconstruction, commissioning and completion of the project.

The Macdonald Block Complex is located at 900 Bay Street, near the Ontario Legislature (Canada). The complex includes the Macdonald Block Podium, and the Hearst, Hepburn, Mowat and Ferguson towers.

The reconstructed complex will:

• Be an efficient, accessible and environmentally responsible workplace that will continue to serve as a critical hub of Ontario government operations for years to come.
• Reduce the cost of government operations – saving the province more than CAD20 million (US$15.5 million) annually for the next 50 years. The savings will be achieved through reduced operating costs, lower energy and capital maintenance expenditures, and the reduction of over 380,000 square feet of third-party leases across the downtown Toronto core.
• Strengthen the performance of these existing government buildings while helping Ontario meet its short- and long-term greenhouse gas reduction targets. As part of the recently released Climate Change Action Plan, Ontario will develop a long-term strategy to move all government operations towards carbon neutrality.

Once the planning and design aspects are completed, the Ministry of Infrastructure and IO will issue a request for qualifications (RFQ) for a team to design, build, and finance the project using IO’s proven Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) delivery model. Under the AFP model, risks associated with the design, construction, and financing of complex projects are transferred to the private sector. The RFQ is expected to be issued in early 2017.

IO and the Ministry of Infrastructure are working together to reconstruct the Macdonald Block Complex, which will be publicly owned, controlled and accountable. All work on the project will be completed over an eight-year period, with employees beginning to move out of the complex in late 2018. Reconstruction will occur between 2019 and 2023 and staff will move into the newly reconstructed complex in 2023-2024.

Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure said:

“Reducing our Toronto office footprint allows us to find efficiencies in our public assets, leading to long-term cost savings for Ontarians. The reconstruction is a long-term project that will be undertaken in a fiscally responsible manner. When completed, it will have a significant economic benefit to the province over the next 50 years.”

Bert Clark, President and CEO, Infrastructure Ontario, stated:

“The Macdonald Block Reconstruction Project is an exciting initiative and we are pleased that it has reached this important early milestone. With the selection of a PDC team, we are on our way towards choosing the successful team to deliver this reconstruction project using Ontario’s proven AFP approach.”