DND to spend greater than $1 billion to construct new operational headquarters in Ottawa

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Nationwide Defence will spend greater than $1 billion on a brand new operational headquarters facility to be positioned at its Carling Campus web site in west-end Ottawa.

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A design contract for the brand new constructing is predicted to be awarded in late 2025, Nationwide Defence confirmed to this newspaper.

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The venture, supposed to supply workplaces for 4,500 personnel, represents a significant growth of the Carling Campus headquarters on the intersection of Moodie Drive and Carling Avenue.

Nationwide Defence had initially checked out a web site close to Shirleys Bay for the brand new operational headquarters, which might be dwelling for personnel from the particular forces command, intelligence command, data administration department and the Canadian Joint Operations Command. These instructions are presently positioned in buildings throughout Ottawa.

However Nationwide Defence determined it made extra sense to find the employees at its Carling Campus location, which has the safety and house wanted.

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“The intent of the venture might be to assemble and retrofit amenities at Carling Campus to deal with all, or parts of (the instructions),” Nationwide Defence spokesperson Jessica Lamirande mentioned.

Now that the situation has been chosen, Public Providers and Procurement Canada will work with a guide to look at the development of a brand new constructing on the Carling Campus headquarters. “It will embrace figuring out choices for particular places on the grounds,” Lamirande added.

The Carling Campus consists of about 28 hectares as soon as owned by Nortel and 120 hectares leased from the Nationwide Capital Fee. The federal authorities spent greater than $800 million to purchase the previous Nortel buildings in 2010 and to improve them for Nationwide Defence necessities.

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In making their authentic case to spend $800 million on the previous Nortel advanced, senior defence officers claimed there could be substantial financial savings in consolidating staff within the one location. As well as, taxpayers would save $750 million over the subsequent 25 years as workplace hire wouldn’t should be paid for quite a few places within the nationwide capital area, authorities officers claimed. No point out was ever product of the necessity for an additional new constructing on the web site.

Lamirande identified that the $1.1-billion venture price for the brand new operational headquarters was solely an estimate and “a extra exact whole venture price might be obtainable as soon as the development contract has been awarded.”

The ability may have an estimated whole gross ground space of greater than 80,000 sq. metres, she famous.

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As soon as the precise location on the Carling Campus is decided for the brand new facility, choices might be examined for various designs. “We count on to have a design contract awarded by late 2025/early 2026,” Lamirande mentioned.

It’s anticipated the brand new facility might be occupied by 2034, however that’s solely an estimate. The venture initially referred to as for the brand new facility to be in operation by 2029.

It should “ship a contemporary operational facility with a view to integrating command, management, communications, and coordination and intelligence capabilities of a number of instructions, together with important operational assist assets collocated, enabling each elevated strategic and operational command and management in addition to layered bodily safety,” Lamirande added.

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By the point the brand new operational headquarters is in use, greater than 13,000 Nationwide Defence staff and Canadian Forces members might be working in Ottawa’s west finish. At the moment there are about 20,500 DND staff and Canadian Forces personnel in places all through Ottawa and Gatineau.

Nationwide Defence will proceed to occupy its different headquarters in downtown Ottawa at 101 Colonel By Dr. till no less than 2035.

Shortly after employees began transferring to the Carling Campus headquarters in early 2017, there have been quite a few complaints a few lack of parking on the new location. However these complaints have largely dried up due to new guidelines permitting employees extra flexibility to make money working from home, Nationwide Defence officers say.

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In its promotional materials concerning the Carling Campus, Nationwide Defence has boasted concerning the first-class amenities established there. “The buildings themselves are in contrast to anything within the Defence Services Portfolio and supply the Defence Group with a wholesome and welcoming work surroundings to work higher collectively in a contemporary, collaborative work surroundings conducive to the difficult work of Defence. Pure mild is plentiful. Vegetation and water are outstanding; each indoors and outside and there are numerous kilometres of close by health trails.”

David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist masking Canadian Forces and navy points in Canada. To assist his work, together with unique content material for subscribers solely, join right here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe

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